Starting Over
by saragator
Summary: Man in Moon gave you a dream one night that said it was destiny for you to meet Jack Frost, and told Jack the same. Then you met him, and it almost felt like you've known him for your entire mortal life. Little did you know that since that fateful meeting, your entire life would be starting over. Jack Frost x Reader
1. It's Destiny

**Starting Over**

1-It's Destiny

Santa Claus sat in his little office, crafting a new toy out of ice.

"Still waiting for cookies!" he shouted to the little elves on the floor, who were eating the cookies.

A few more tinks… and done.

"Tada!" he exclaimed, holding his hands up in the air, letting the little bird he made fly away. He grabbed a cookie and ate it as he watched the bird fly around the room.

A yeti opened the door and shouted Santa's name.

Santa jumped about a foot in the air, rattling everything in the room. "Oh, Phil, how many times have I told you to knock?" he scolded as the ice bird landed in his hands.

Phil pointed to the globe room, saying something only Santa could understand.

"What?" Santa muttered as he gently placed the bird on his table. "Man in Moon? It's not Pitch, is it?"

Phil shrugged, making noises that sounded like 'I don't know'.

Santa stood up and walked to the globe. "Nope, lights still there." He turned to the hole in the ceiling where the moon shows through when Man in Moon has something to say, which isn't very often.

"Manny! It's been while. What's big news?" he said to the moon.

Man in Moon's voice spoke in his head. _Call the Guardians._

"Is there problem?" Santa asked again, scratching his head. "Is Pitch rising again? Hope not, we can't get rid of him."

But the moon just rose out of sight, saying nothing more.

Puzzled, Santa waddled to the desk by the globe. "Dingo," he ordered. Four little elves raised their hands in excitement. "Make preparations, we're gonna have company." He grabbed the lever, turned it and pushed it down, sending out the Northern Lights.

The little elves began pushing each other so the yetis left to set up the four rooms, one for each guardian.

* * *

"We've got a lower left lateral incisor in Sector 22. Upper right central incisor in Sector 54. Thanks Baby Tooth, aw! This is the cutest little lower left central incisor I've seen! And so clean!" Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy rambled as she announced coordinates to her tooth fairies. A small fairy pointed in the direction of the North Pole, getting Tooth's short-spanned attention. "What? Oh, no." Her spirits fell as she and some of her fairies—including Baby Tooth—flew to the North Pole.

* * *

Sandy stood on his sand, delivering strands of dream sand to every house in the region. Just he was about to move on to the next region, the Northern Lights caught his attention. Worry crossed his face for a second, then he turned his sand ball into an airplane as he flew off to the North Pole.

* * *

The Easter Bunny was hiding out in the Warren, playing with his boomerang. Being early December, he had nothing to do since the eggs weren't ready to bloom and get painted. Sounds of turning rocks woke him from his trance, causing him to get hit in the head with his own boomerang.

"Ow! Oh, there better be a good bloody reason for distracting me," he shouted, scratching behind his ear.

The giant rocks of the Warren were in the wide-mouth position when Bunnymund stepped out into the open.

"What's the problem, mates?" he asked, tensing up and scanning the area for danger. He looked up and saw the Northern Lights. "Oh, no. Not again. We can never get rid of him."

Tapping his foot, a hole appeared and he hopped into it, taking his tunnels to the North Pole.

* * *

Laughter rang through the night as Jack Frost gave the neighborhood a good snowstorm. People were slipping and sliding on the ice and kids were out having last-minute snowball wars.

"Haha, now _that_ was fun," Jack said, swinging on a telephone pole. He looked up to call the wind when he noticed the lights. "Aw, this isn't going to be fun, though," he muttered, frowning at the ground. "I thought we took care of him." He sighed and swung his staff over his shoulder.

"Wind!" he yelled. The wind began to blow lightly in his face. "Take me to North's workshop!" The wind blew harder, taking Jack with it as he flew towards the North Pole.

* * *

"What's that bloody showpony up to now?" Bunnymund growled, gripping his boomerangs tighter with each word.

"He knows that Jamie will never stop believing, right?" Tooth asked, fluttering around nervously.

Sandy had an array of images appearing over his head, going too fast even for the fastest reader to see.

"He knows he's no match for me," Jack stated, forming a snowflake and waving it away.

"I know, I know. It's all very confusing. But Man in Moon told me to call you," North said, talking over all the rambles.

Everybody froze in the spot.

"Wait, Man in Moon?" Jack repeated, loosening his grip on the staff.

"Oh, no, he isn't recruiting a new evil sidekick, is he?" Tooth asked, covering her mouth in worry.

"I don't know," North replied. "All he told me was to call you."

"That's it?" Bunnymund shouted. "Not even a sign? A shadow? A feeling in your belly?"

North shook his head.

"Well, uh, now what do we do?" Tooth asked.

"I don't know," North responded, shrugging. "Wait for sign, I guess."

"Like that?" Jack asked, pointing his staff at the glowing moon.

North turned to look at the bright moon. "Yeah, like that," he mumbled. "Manny! I have called Guardians. What must we do?"

Moonlight shown through the hole and lit the Guardian symbol on the floor. Shadows formed, and the Guardians tensed, waiting to see what the problem was. The shadows formed a girl, a mortal girl; sitting on a bench, drawing. Then the shadows turned and formed an image of a boy, a boy with a hooked staff; walking towards the girl. The boy says something to the girl, startling her. She drops her sketchbook, and the boy picks it up for her, staring at the drawing. He gives it back to her and sits next to her on the bench. They began to talk, and then the shadows faded away as the moon rose away, saying what it had to say.

"Well, we know it's not Pitch," North mused, stroking his beard.

"But what was that?" Jack accidentally shouted, bringing the room temperature down a little.

"It looked like the beginning of a very good romance novel," Tooth said shyly, shifting from side to side.

"But, it—he, looked… like me!" Jack added, running a hand through his snow white hair.

"Maybe because it _was_ you, mate," Bunnymund replied, hopping up to the young guardian.

"But, I don't—why would—I mean, argh! There're just too many questions!" Jack sat on the floor, already exasperated from what the Man in Moon told everyone.

"It look like Man in Moon want partner for Jack!" North said, summing it up.

"But why?" he asked again, placing his staff on the floor. "I've been alone for 300 years! I'm perfectly fine."

"_You_ think you're fine, Jack," North responded. "Man in Moon thinks otherwise. He must have something special planned."

"But, this… this girl. I don't know who she is, what she looks like, and if she'll even see me! We're talking about some teenager here! Most kids tend to… lose belief by the time they're twelve or thirteen. And, and, what if I'm not, well, what if I'm…? I'm not… attracted to her?"

"That's something we can not help, Jack," North said quietly.

"Hold on, hold on. Maybe Jack has a point," Bunnymund interrupted. "I mean, we already have to deal with _him_, certainly we don't want another bloody teenager horsing around."

"Hey," Jack snarled. "I don't _horse_ around. I just _frost_ around," he argued, smirking.

"See?" Bunnymund boasted, pointing at Jack. "See? We don't want _two_ people talking back at us, do we?"

"Bunny, Bunny," North repeated, shaking his head. "Nobody said nothing about this girl becoming Guardian. She not immortal yet!"

The tall bunny laughed. "Ha, aha. You see, the keyword in that is _yet_."

"It would be pretty mean for Man in Moon to set Jack up with somebody and just have her _die_ on him, Bunny. I mean, romance stories should _never_ end in that way. Love wrecks everything," Tooth spoke up.

"Which is why we wouldn't want him to get involved with someone. Mortals have a limited lifespan," Bunny explained.

"You know, I just _love_ how you guys are talking about my love life in front of me and not even letting me get involved in the conversation," Jack added sarcastically, standing up and leaning on his staff.

The other Guardians froze, embarrassment sinking in on each of their faces.

Tooth's face was the reddest, even though she rarely spoke. "We're sorry, Jack, we didn't mean—"

"Don't worry about it, Tooth. I've gotten used to it," Jack smiled. He turned to face North. "But why does it have to be a mortal girl? Why can't I—" Jack cut himself off, a flush of cold rising to his cheeks, turning them a light shade of blue.

"It's destiny, Jack. He wants you to be with your own kind," North said kindly, placing a big hand on his shoulder.

Jack looked up into North's eyes. "But wouldn't my own kind mean immortals?"

"No, no," he laughed. "Man in Moon means as in human race."

"Oh," Jack dropped the eye contact and sat back on the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tooth's expression. "I'm—I'm sorry, Tooth," he muttered, looking at her face.

Tooth's heart swelled a little, even though she knew she was losing Jack to someone else. At least she knew that he did like her. "It's okay, Jack. After all, Man in Moon says it's your destiny."

Jack smiled sadly, looking back at the wooden floor. "Yeah, destiny."

After a long silence, a loud ringing bell was heard. Everyone looked up as Sandy dropped on elf. Apparently he was trying to get everyone's attention but nobody ever noticed because he never spoke out loud.

"Sandy! I almost forgot you were here!" North laughed, lightening the mood. "What you have to say?"

Question marks and images of the Guardians appeared over his head.

"Good question, mate," Bunnymund responded, hopping up next to North. "Now what do we do?"

North thought for a minute, stroking his beard whilst doing so. "Well, I guess we go back to work. Nothing bad happening and Manny said what he had to say, so, guess we do so!"

"Alright, mates. Guess I'll head back to where it's warm!" Bunny said, tapping the ground. "See you next time!" With that, he hopped into the hole and out of sight.

Sandy was next to leave, as children were getting ready to go to bed.

North went into his private workshop, most likely to continue working on his little ice bird.

"Don't worry, Jack. You'll be fine," Tooth said quietly, flying over to where he still sat on the floor.

"But, what about you?" he asked, choking up even though he didn't want to.

Tooth laughed lightly. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Jack sighed. "I just, I don't know. I don't remember if I've ever fallen in love before. But I do know it's not supposed to happen on purpose."

"And it won't," Tooth added confidently. "Man in Moon didn't say it had to happen right away. I guess he was just giving us a heads up that it was going to happen."

He smiled slightly, playing with his staff. "Are you sure?"

She tried her best not to giggle at his repetitiveness. "Trust me, Jack. I'm okay."

He stood up, swinging his staff over his shoulder. "Well, guess the meeting's over," he said, changing the subject.

Tooth smiled, fixing some of her feathers. "Yeah, it was a quick one this time."

Jack headed for the window, getting ready to hop out. Then he changed his mind and ran over to Tooth, giving her a big hug. "Thanks," he mumbled into her feathers.

Taken off guard, Tooth tried not to flutter too hard so she wouldn't carry Jack up with her. "No problem. Just remember, don't go looking for her, she'll come to you."

Jack laughed, pulling away from her. "I know, I was just going to deliver a few more snowstorms in places I forgot to get last year." With that, he flew out of the workshop and called the wind to take him away.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello everybody! :D This is the happy romantic Jack Frost x Reader story that I am currently writing and wanted to share with you guys. :D This is kind of the prologue so you'll be introduced the next chapter (which I finished typing and what is going to happen I find really funny) so yeah, no reader involvement yet. But when you get to the next chapter (F/N) stands for your first name and (F/N + L/N) stands for your first and last name. I'll post the next one up when I finish Chapter 3 so I'll always have one chapter ready if you guys get impatient! XD So yeah, idk what else to say, so review and enjoy your new life with Jack! :P I know I'll be! XD**


	2. Destiny at Your Door

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 2 everybody! Tada! You've been introduced! And yeah, I know reader involvement stories aren't allowed on here but I seen/read a ton of them so if no one reports me, I'll be fine. :D I've started Chapter 3, and I think you're going to enjoy it. :) Hopefully I'll have the new one up tomorrow, but if not, I guess we wait to Monday-or Sunday-because on weekends I don't get as much computer time... :( Oh well, Enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

2-Destiny at Your Door

You rolled your eyes at your mother's comment about going outside without a hat and gloves.

"Seriously, Mom," you say to her. "I'm _fine_." You picked up your sketchbook and pencil, hoping to get a good winter scene to finish your drawing.

"Just don't come whining to me that you got frostbitten!" your mom warned you as you walked out the door.

"It never snows much for that to happen anyways, Mom!" you shouted, shutting the door. "Wow, it's cold," you muttered when you walked down the porch steps. "And that's why…"

You looked around you and saw at least a foot of snow surrounding you. Luckily, it stopped snowing for you to draw without it getting all wet.

"It's so beautiful," you whisper as you trudged through the snow to your favorite viewing spot. When you reached the spot, you sat down on the bench and looked in front of you.

"Perfect…" With your pencil, you continue sketching where you left off in the house.

The boy from your dream.

You don't know who he was or why he was there, but you had a pretty good feeling that he was your Prince Charming.

Biting your lip, you carefully drew in the last spike of his hair and the curve of his shepherd staff. Then you added the strings on his hoodie and the snow drifts behind him.

"Why does it feel like I know him?" you whisper to yourself, frowning.

"Is that me?"

You jumped a foot in the air, dropping your sketchbook in the process. "What the…" you mumble, looking behind you and hearing a whoosh of wind over your head. You looked back to the front, meeting a pair of ice-blue eyes staring back at you.

"You, uh, dropped this," the boy said, handing you your sketchbook.

You could've sworn you saw his face turn blue. "Thanks," you whisper, continuing to stare at the boy. You began to draw again, almost forgetting that the boy was still here.

You felt him sit down by you, and it befuddled you at how cold he was. You could almost feel his eyes on your drawing, and you thought you should feel uncomfortable; yet you didn't.

Finally, curiosity got a hold of you and you turned to look at the strange boy, who, you realized; happened to be walking in foot deep snow in bare feet.

"Who are you?" you asked, slowly noticing how he looked a _lot_ like the boy in your dream.

"Me?" he asked, pointing at himself.

"Yeah, you're the only human being around here," you said. You noticed how he only had on a blue hoodie. "And, aren't you cold?"

He looked at himself, then back at you, realizing how bundled up you were compared to him.

"No, I'm special that way." He smirked at you, and you could feel your heart starting to pound.

_Stop that!_ you scolded yourself. _He's some stranger that scared the hibby jeebies out of you!_

"I'm Jack Frost," he said, holding his hand out for you to shake.

"(F/N)," you say. "(F/N + L/N), I mean," you blushed at your blunder. You took his hand and shook it. Sparks shot through your hand, causing the both of you to jump away.

You both stared at your hands for a while, wandering what happened.

Jack giggled quietly. "Well, with that aside, do you want to do something?"

You smiled, placing your sketchbook next to you on the bench. You decided this Jack Frost wasn't that bad after all. "Sure, I haven't hung out with anyone in a while anyways." You stand up and kneel in the snow. You balled up some snow when he wasn't looking and stared at him innocently.

For some reason, it felt like you knew this kid all your life.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, looking at you expectantly.

You smile evilly when you saw your plan was going good. "This," you smirk, and with that, you threw the snowball at Jack's face, taking him off guard.

Shocked, Jack quickly wiped the snow off his face and gave you're the evilest look ever. "Oh, you want to play _that_ way, don't ya?"

You threw your hands up in the air, laughing too hard to make another snowball.

Wet snow hit your face, and it was Jack's turn to laugh.

You smirked, having the best fun you've had in a lifetime. "Oh, it's _on_." You picked up another snowball and threw it at him; and him at you, and this continued for a good twenty minutes, both of you laughing like little kids.

"Hey! You're throwing snowballs faster than I can make one!" you complained, dodging another one as it came your way.

"You're the one who asked for it!" Jack replied, throwing another one at you.

You realized that he was holding a hooked staff, and you stopped still. A snowball hit you in the stomach, knocking you into the snow.

Jack stopped laughing when he realized he actually knocked you down. "You okay?" he asked, suddenly next to you, his hand on your shoulder.

"You're Jack?" you asked, staring at him again.

Jack gave you a confused look, sitting in the snow next to you.

"Jack Frost?" you repeated, staring at him intently. "As in, the winter spirit Jack Frost?"

Jack's face lit up when you realized that he wasn't just an ordinary teen. "Yeah," he said excitedly, smiling wide.

You screamed, but not in fear. Jack scooted away from you, scared of you. "OH MY GOSH!" you shouted, lying back into the snow. "I got to throw a snowball at freakin' Jack Frost without him expecting it!"

Jack exhaled sharply when he realized that was what the excitement was about.

You laughed uncontrollably, holding your stomach because it hurt so bad.

"Yeah, and I'm going to make sure that it's never going to happen again," Jack stated, kneeling down beside you.

You sat up quickly, blowing your hair out of your face. Next, to both of your surprise, you hugged Jack, even though his skin chilled you to the bone. Slowly, Jack hugged you back.

"Thank you for the best day ever," you whisper before pulling away.

"Eh, that's my job," Jack said, sounding bored.

You smacked him even though you had a huge smile on your face.

He stands up and holds a hand out to you to pull you up.

You graciously take it and stand up, wiping the snow off your pants.

You both walk in silence to your house, not feeling creeped out at all at the fact that the winter spirit was practically following you home.

When you reached the front door, you turned to face Jack, who was still right behind you.

"You know," you whisper to him. "It feels like I've known you for forever."

Jack smiled, looking down for a second. "I know, it's weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah," you nod. You put your hand on the doorknob, getting ready to turn it. "Thanks again, Jack."

"No problem, (F/N)," Jack said, turning to walk away.

Suddenly, another question popped in your head. "Jack!" you shout to him, almost taken by surprise when you saw him floating in the air. He turned around, giving you that look boys always give you when you call their name after you say goodbye. "Will I see you again?"

He smiled, flying down to stand in front of you again. "It's only the beginning of winter, remember?" he smirked, twirling his staff.

You smile, heat rising to your cheeks. "Right. Well, see you."

"Yeah, see you." Jack turned and flew away, leaving you watching him until you couldn't see him anymore.

You open the door to the inviting smell of warm apple pie.

"Hey, honey. What took you so long? It's dark outside!" your mother asked, setting the pie plate on the table.

"Oh, I just ran into an old friend of mine," you murmur, sitting down at the table.

"Oh?" you mom replied suspiciously. "How was it?"

You gazed into the distance, not noticing or caring that you mother suspected something. "Oh, he was wonderful…"

* * *

You woke up in the middle of the night to rapping on your window.

"What the…?" you whisper, getting up and putting your slippers on. You walk to the window and open it.

"Jack?"


	3. Late-Night Chat

**Starting Over**

3-Late-Night Chat

"Jack?"

There he was, floating outside your window, waving and smiling at you. He pointed to tell you to open the window wider, which you did.

He flew in, the wind pushing you backwards.

"Jack, what are you doing—," you started to say before Jack cut you off.

"You left this on the bench," he replied, handing you your sketchbook and pencil.

Your jaw dropped as you took back your sketchbook, then you felt the heat rise to your cheeks when you realized that Jack just went back to get something for you because you forgot it.

"Tha-thanks, Jack," you stumbled over the words as you looked into his ice-blue eyes.

He smiled and waved it off as if it were nothing. "So, what'cha doing?" he asked casually, gracefully sitting down on the top of your desk.

"Well, I _was_ sleeping," you replied sarcastically, nodding your head to the bed.

Jack's cheeks turned blue. "Sorry about that."

"Oh no, no! It's fine, don't worry about it. It's the weekend anyways!" you stammered quickly, not wanting to be a bad host, even though he _is_ freakin' Jack Frost. You stared at his face as the blue disappeared. "Why do your cheeks do that?" you ask, then you covered your mouth. "Never mind, forget I asked that."

Jack laughed. "It's okay, nobody's made me blush as much as you anyways, maybe from the lack of human interaction for 300 years."

"That's you blushing?" you ask shyly, putting down your sketchbook.

"Yeah, because I'm a winter spirit, I tend to be colder than most living things."

"Wow," you mutter in fascination, the science of it all exciting you. Then you remember what he said about being alone for 300 years. "Wait, what happened for 300 years of your life?"

Jack put his head down, a sad look appearing across his face.

You felt bad, so you quickly stammered out another apology.

He smiled slightly, looking you in the eye. "It's okay (F/N), seeing that we happened to run into each other twice in one day, you deserve to know."

"Well, actually, we run into each other _once_ in one day, because it's three o' clock in the morning now, so it's a new day. You also purposely visited me the second time," you explained.

Jack playfully glared at you. "Can I start my story now?"

You blush, looking down. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead." Another question decided to cross your mind. "Wait, how did you know where to find my room?"

This time Jack blushed. "Oh, I have my ways."

You laughed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Oh, okay, you little—" you stopped, no longer wanting to say what you wanted to say.

"Little what?" Jack smirked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

You felt your cheeks turn super red as you pushed Jack down into your bed. "Oh, shut up and tell me the story."

He laughed. "Alright, alright, don't be so bossy." He pulled you down with him into the bed. You yelped, both from being pulled off your feet and from the coldness from his hands.

"You're cold!" you shouted, turning to face him in the bed.

He laughed again. "Sorry, that's just who I am."

You smiled, crossing your legs and placing your elbows on your knees and your hands holding your head up. You looked at him expectantly, wanting to know what happened for 300 years of his life.

He looked at you for a while until he realized what you were doing. "Oh, right. The story."

You nodded; your face serious now as you waited for him to begin.

"Well, it all began when I was about fourteen years old, the day I took my little sister ice skating…"

* * *

"…And then we flew away in Santa's wickedly awesome sleigh, back to the North Pole for a huge celebration party," Jack finished, not even watching to see if you were still awake.

You were, and tears were streaming down your face from both the happy and sad moments. "Aw, Jack…" you whisper, scooting across the bed to give him another unexpected hug. You don't know why you keep hugging him, especially since you just met him not even twelve hours ago. "That was the best bedtime story ever."

Jack smiled shyly. "Oh, I wouldn't call it the _best_ ever," he mumbled, pushing you away and putting you down in your bed. "But since you said it was a bedtime story, you better get to bed."

You nodded sleepily. You wanted to fall asleep earlier, but you didn't want to be rude and you didn't want to miss a single word of Jack's story.

Jack pulled the covers over you, tucking you in nice and snug. "Good night, (F/N)," he murmured, turning to fly out the window.

"Jack?" you call quietly.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning his head to look at you.

"When I asked if I'd see you again, I didn't mean right away."

He laughed quietly. "I know, but I had to."

You smiled, already drifting into a deep sleep. "But it doesn't mean I didn't like it," you mumble sleepily.

Jack smiled at you. "Alright, princess, go to sleep."

You obeyed, even though you were sad that Jack was leaving. "Good night, Jack," you whisper, listening to the wind pull him out of the house. Then your eyes closed and you fell into the most peaceful sleep you've had in years.

* * *

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 3! Tada! :D Idk if it's moving too fast or something, but I want the romance to start! :O But anyways, yeah, I'm writing up Chapter 4 as I speak, so hopefully it be up Sunday, tomorrow if I'm lucky... Yeah, the wind knocked out the power for a while, so I was put behind in my writing... but don't worry! Excitement soon to follow! Bye-bye for now! :)**


	4. Dreams

**Author's Note: Tada! Chapter 4 is here! Just like I promised! :D So, in this one, Jack's going to take you on a little adventure! But where? Haha, that is for me to know and for you to find out. XD lol I'm so mean sometimes. So, anyways, I started typing Chapter 5 and if I buckle down and write it tomorrow (because I ran out of time today) it should be up tomorrow. :D So, anyways, bye-bye for now and enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

4-Dreams

You stood in the middle of a snowstorm, lost in the whiteness.

"Mom?" you call, your voice echoing in the white emptiness. You wandered around, hoping to see some sign of life. "Dad? Where are you?"

_Do not worry, little one. You are safe._

You looked around to see where the owner of the voice could be. "Who are you?" you ask, looking up and down, left and right.

_Do not worry. I'm here to keep you safe._

"Well, if you're here to keep me safe, then why don't you show yourself?!" you look around frantically, getting more nervous by the second.

_I can not. _You stood still, listening to the man speak. _But, I will send someone to you to be your Guardian._

"Guardian?" you whisper, reaching a hand out to catch a snowflake.

Movement caught your eye, and you quickly ran into that direction.

A flash of blue blurred past you, and you followed it, wondering what it could be.

The snow subsided, and a tall figure stood next to you. You had almost run right into the person.

Your jaw dropped when you recognized his face. "Jack?" you barely whispered, shocked to find him here. Then you remembered that he was the spirit of winter, and that he probably created this storm.

He turned to look at you, and you noticed that his staff was gone. "(F/N)?" he said quietly, reaching a hand out to you.

You ignored his hand and ran up to hug him, tears unwillingly rolling down your cheeks. "Jack!" you cried, hiding your face in his cold neck. Yet, his neck didn't feel as cold as you thought it should be. It almost felt… _normal_.

You pulled away, keeping your arms around his waist, and his around yours. "_Finally_, I get to see someone human in this place," you smiled, still surprised at how warm Jack is.

"Yeah," he muttered, concern covering his child-like face. "Who made this snowstorm anyway?"

You stopped smiling, cocking an eyebrow. "Wait, you didn't make this?"

He shook his head, his white hair flopping from side to side. "My staff's gone."

"Oh, right," you mumble, looking down. You slowly pulled away completely, sticking your hands in your pockets.

Jack exhaled sharply, sticking his own hands in his pockets. "Now what?"

You shrugged, it was white everywhere. "There's nothing much you could really do in all this whiteness."

"Yeah," he nodded. Then his eyes lit up and he gave you the biggest smile yet. "But… white means snow! And snow means—"

"Snowball war!" you shouted, completing his sentence.

You both picked up wads of snow, trying to hide from each other; which was kind of hard in all the whiteness.

Laughter echoed in the white emptiness, only this time you didn't feel lonely and empty.

You felt happy.

Snowball after snowball was thrown, but it never soaked through your clothes. Jack was equal with you, almost like he was a normal human being. You figured that his staff was what kept him ahead of the game.

The snow picked up again, making it hard to see where the other went.

"Jack?" you called out, dropping your snowball.

"(F/N)?" he called back, sounding nearby.

"What keeps happening?" you shouted over the winds.

"I don't know! For some reason, I think… I think someone's trying to tell us something!" Jack shouted back.

"Who?" you asked, reaching your hand out, trying to feel your way around, since eyesight was no longer useful.

"I only know as much as you, (F/N)," he replied. A cold hand grazed yours, and you quickly grabbed it.

"Found you," you both say at the same time. Laughing, you felt with your free hand to find Jack's other one. You did, and held onto it tight, ignoring the sparks shooting up your arms.

"Don't let go," you whisper, seeing his silhouette against the white backdrop.

"I won't, I promise," he whispered, gripping your hands tighter. The storm picked up, the snow blocking out what was left of your eyesight. You held onto Jack's hands, making sure the coldness never left.

Then, slowly, everything began to fade away; the winds, the snow, the whiteness.

_It's your destiny, (F/N),_ the voice from before spoke. _Don't ever leave him for another._

The last thing you felt was Jack's cold presence.

* * *

You woke up to bright light shining into your room. You blinked a few times; making sure you weren't still in the land of whiteness. When you saw that it was your room, you sat up and checked the time on your clock.

"Eleven o' clock?" you whisper-shouted. "Jeez, I really slept in…" You rubbed your eyes and rolled lazily out of bed, slipping on your slippers.

A cold breeze blew into your room, waking you up a little more. You ran to the still open window, expecting to see Jack fly by.

Disappointment crossed your face when you didn't see him, so you shut the window and walked to your dresser, pulling out some winter clothes.

You pulled on some fuzzy sweatpants and a hand-knit sweater, not un-like what you wore to bed last night. You looked back out the window, and saw that more snow had accumulated overnight.

"Eh," you say, looking down at your sketchbook. "It wouldn't hurt to get some more drawing done. I might just run into him again anyways." You smile to yourself, knowing that that's the true reason why you wanted to go outside. You grabbed your boots and exchanged your slippers for them, ignoring the fact that you didn't put socks on.

Then you took your sketchbook and opened it. You saw your Jack Frost drawing, almost done; just needed some coloring in. You flipped the page and saw a drawing you didn't recognize.

It was sloppy, the person who drew it didn't do their best, but that was just your inner-art teacher speaking. It was like a child drew it, sweet and adorable. Looking at it closely, you realized that it represented two people. One was Jack, (you recognized that right away because of the hair and staff) and the other was… you. Then you noticed the signature in the upper left-hand corner. There, in fine print, was Jack Frost's name. You grinned, hugging the sketchbook to your chest.

Closing the book, you ran down the stairs to your mother sitting at the kitchen table, reading the morning paper.

"Look who decided to get up," your mother said, not looking up from the paper.

You giggled, grabbing a cookie from the jar on the table. "I was tired."

"Yeah, you must've been, staying out that late last night," your mother said sternly, looking at you. "What were you doing anyways?"

Your smile faded away. "I told you, I ran into an old friend." You were afraid to tell your mom about Jack, because anyone with a decent view on life would know that a boy wearing thin clothing with nothing on his feet and walking around in foot deep snow was trouble.

"_Which_ old friend are we talking about?" your mom questioned suspiciously. You began wishing that a major distraction would happen right about now to save you from this conversation. "Come on, honey, I know that look. Is it a boy?"

_Crap,_ you thought. _She's catching onto me._ "Uh…" you stall, looking around for some kind of answer. Then you noticed the picture sitting on the mini table by the door, the much younger you with your first friend. "Yeah, you wouldn't remember him, though. We haven't seen him for, like, ten years."

"Really? How did you recognize him then?"

_Uh-oh._ "Uh, I didn't. He—he recognized me first." You decided to fake that this boy—you don't even remember his name—was meeting you at this moment. "Actually, I think that's him now. Got to go!" You bolted for the door, opening it and walking outside super fast.

The second the door shut, you felt a body slam into you.

"Ouch…" both of you mumble, rubbing your head. You looked up to see those familiar ice-blue eyes looking at you.

"Jack! Hi!" you say, startled that he was at your front door. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Yeah, me too," he muttered, scratching his head. "You sure don't watch where you're walking."

You blushed, looking down. "Yeah, I know. I was trying to escape from my mother."

Jack gave you a weird look. "Why would you do that?" he asked you, gently leading you down your porch steps to the front yard.

"Because she was asking me questions about last night. She suspects that I'm seeing someone," you mutter angrily, sticking your hand not holding the sketchbook into your pocket.

"You're seeing someone?" Jack asked, hurt in his voice.

You smiled slightly. No matter how magical and powerful Jack is, he was still an ordinary teenage boy. "No one, silly. I guess it was because I missed my curfew last night having a snowball war with you."

Jack laughed. "Right, I'd never forget that. You were the first and _only_ person to ever throw the first snowball at me."

You smirked. "I know, aren't I brilliant?"

"Yes, yes you are, princess," he responded, sitting down on the bench in your favorite viewing spot. You sat down next to him, opening up your sketchbook.

"What'cha drawing this time?" he asked you, leaning over you to watch you draw.

You shrug. "I don't know. Most of the time my inspiration comes from my dreams I have at night; but last night's dream was the same as the night before, only different."

You looked at Jack, who was trying to comprehend what you just said.

"The same but different?" he asked, looking at you funny. "You're not making sense, Shakespeare."

You laughed. "No, duh, Sherlock. I never make sense."

Jack laughed with you, making you feel like a little kid again.

"No, seriously though, what does it mean?" Jack asked between giggles.

"It means that I was in the same place, I just did something different."

"Like a new day?"

Oh, you never thought of it like that before. "Yeah, like that."

"What was it about?" he asked, watching you curiously.

You sat back into the bench, holding your sketchbook away from you on your lap. "Well, it began with me in a world of whiteness. I was by myself, no one there to keep me company." Recognition lit up in Jack's ice-blue eyes. "I felt lonely, like half my heart was missing. Then a voice spoke, but I never found its owner. It told me that I was safe, that I had nothing to worry about; and that he would send me someone to be my guardian."

"Weird…" Jack muttered, looking at his hands.

You looked at him curiously. "What's weird?"

He looked at you intently, and you felt like that should scare you, but it didn't. "That happened to me, too. What else happened?"

Your heart pounded in your chest, the science behind two people having the same dream in one night frightening you. "Well, the voice stopped talking, but a flash of blue appeared in the middle of all the whiteness. I followed it, and when the snow subsided, a person stood before me."

"It was me," Jack murmured, subconsciously moving his hand closer to yours.

"Yeah, it was you," you whispered, looking down at your lap, your sketchbook just sitting there at the edge of your knees.

"Then you hugged me," Jack began, finishing what you thought was your dream. "You were surprised to find me, and even more shocked than me to find my staff missing." You nodded knowingly; moving your hand 'till you felt Jack's coldness against the side of it. "Then we started a huge snowball war, yet I never gained the lead."

"Neither did I," you whispered.

"I also felt whole again, like the half of me that was missing was finally there."

"300 years is a long time to wait for the other half, though."

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding his head. "Anyways, the snow picked up again, and I lost you. I heard you calling for me, and I called for you. We found each other's hands, and we just held on to each other, trying not to lose you again."

"'Don't let go'," you added, taking his hand in yours.

"'I won't, I promise'," he finished, turning his hand to grasp yours better. You stared into each other's eyes for a while, lost in the moment. Then Jack looked away, still holding your hand. "Then everything started to fade away, except for your warmth."

"And your coldness," you said, adding your end of the story in his.

"Then the voice spoke again. 'It's destiny, Jack'," he began.

"'Don't ever leave him for another'," you finished, looking back at Jack.

"Then I woke up, and decided to find you again, to tell you what happened."

You smiled. "And then we're here, talking about dreams and drawings."

He smiled too, leaning back into the bench, his staff sticking up in the snow beside him.

"You know," you said, breaking the silence. "It's like someone's trying to tell us something. Like that something's going to happen and it involves us."

"Yeah," Jack whispered, staring up at the blue sky above you. Something lit up in his eyes, causing him to sit up straighter, releasing your hand. "I've got an idea. Come with me." He stood up and grabbed both of your hands, ignoring those sharp sparks shooting through you and pulling you up, your sketchbook sliding off you and into the snow.

Your eyes widened, wondering what he was thinking. "Where are we going?" you ask as he lifted you up into the air. You yelped, closing your eyes and holding onto Jack tighter.

Jack grabbed his staff and your sketchbook, sliding it into his jacket pocket. He swung you onto his back, giving you his staff to hold. You held onto it, the blue frost disappearing when you did. "Someplace you've always dreamed of visiting when you were a kid."

The wind picked up and pushed you and Jack higher into the air, leaving the comfort of your hometown behind. You screamed, wrapping your arms tighter around Jack's body, which was still cool to the touch. You closed your eyes, not wanting to look down at the cities rushing by below you. All you wanted was to stay as close to Jack as possible and to not fall out of the sky. So you just hid your face in the crook of Jack's neck, hoping that this wacky ride would end soon.

"We're here."


	5. A Gift from the Moon

**Starting Over**

5-A Gift from the Moon

"We're here," Jack said, shaking you out of your trance.

You didn't even notice that he had landed; you were so caught up in trying not to fall or drop Jack's staff.

You opened your eyes, slipping down off of Jack's back and looking around you.

"Wow," you mouthed, staring at the snowy mountains looming before you.

Jack laughed. "I know, right? That was the first thing I said when I first came here."

"When was that?" you asked, still holding his staff.

"Last April, a few days before Easter," he replied, taking your hand and leading you through the mountains.

"Oh." An extremely cold wind blew in your face, and you cuddled closer to Jack. "Jeez, it's freakin' cold here."

"Well, what do you expect? We're at the North Pole!" Jack laughed, releasing your hand and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. "And I seriously doubt I'll be of much help keeping you warm."

"No, you're right there. But you at least block the wind from blowing at me," you say, sticking your free hand in your coat pocket.

"Oh, using me as a shelter, aren't ya?" he teased, stopping at the top of one of the mountains.

"Yep," you replied, looking at the view in front of you. "Why is it so dark?" you asked, not giving a thought at how stupid a question that was.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Here, at the North Pole, it's nighttime every time. At least in the winter that is. Has something to do with the Earth's rotation and its axis."

You blush, gripping Jack's staff tighter. "Right, I knew that."

Jack smiled. "Yeah, sure you did," he said sarcastically. Then he pointed to something in front of both of you, saying, "See that? That's where we're heading."

You followed his finger, squinting in the dim moonlight to see what he was pointing at. It looked like a building, and a super huge one of that. "What is _that_?" you ask, staring at the giant building.

Jack laughed. "Don't you remember who lives at the North Pole?"

"Penguins?" you answer absentmindly, searching your mind for answers.

"No, silly! Don't you remember?" he asked, staring at you intently. "_You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why_," Jack sang, trying to help jog your memory.

"_Santa Claus is coming to town_," you finish, smacking your head in the process. "Dummy! How could I not know that?!"

"I don't know, almost everybody does."

"He's real?" you ask, only because your belief faded away as everyone began dropping hints that they no longer believed.

Jack laughed. "Of course he's real! What do you think he is? Cookies?"

You laughed with him. "Well, he eats a lot of them."

"Yeah, he sure does. So, anyways, how come you believe in me and not in him?"

You looked down, sitting in the snow; which probably wasn't your brightest idea in the world. "You were in my dream, and I believe dreams are real; our souls in an alternate universe, living different lives than here on Earth. In my dreams, I could fly, or run for my life in random grocery stores, jumping up and down the shelves—"

"Grocery stores?" Jack replied, bewildered. He sat down next to you, pulling your sketchbook out of his pocket, setting it carefully in the snow.

"Don't ask," you giggle, placing Jack's staff down next to you.

"I already did," he laughed, looking at you through the moonlight.

You laugh before becoming serious again. "So, you were there, in the whiteness. The first time you didn't say anything to me, just stood there like an illusion. You didn't hear me, didn't say anything, and didn't move at all. Just stood there, reaching out to me, as if I was falling, dying, wiped off from the face of the Earth."

"Woah, dramatic," Jack whispered, lying back in the snow.

"So I believed in you, mainly because you seemed so much like a real teenage boy, lost in the whiteness and in fear of entering the adult world before you were ready."

"Except I'm not an ordinary teenage boy, and I'm never entering the adult world, ever."

"Forever fourteen, huh?" you whisper, lying down beside him, staring at the many stars in the sky.

"Yeah, sort of like Peter Pan."

"That's got to be hard, isn't it? Imagining what your life would've been like if you hadn't died in that lake 300 years ago?"

Jack sighed. "Occasionally, yes. But, I don't have all of my human memories, just a few of me goofing off and the one where I save my little sister, otherwise; that's it. I wonder, still, if I would've grown up, became a doctor or something, marry, have a family. Or, if I still would've died, just later and in a different way; like saving my daughter from falling off a cliff or something."

"Like you were meant to die heroically?"

"Yeah, I guess. But, I was mortal then, I would've died eventually anyways, I just probably wouldn't have become who I am now."

"Maybe, maybe not. You could've still become Jack Frost; just not the young, witty, mischievous prankster I know you as, for, like, two days."

"It's only been two days?" Jack asked, running his hand through his hair. "Man, it feels like forever."

"Well, considering we had two snowball wars—"

"Two?" Jack cut in, counting on his fingers to see if his math was right.

"Counting the one in the dream," you added, saving him from more confusion. "Considering that and freakin' scaring me by flying me to the North Pole on such short notice, it can feel like forever."

Silence fell as you both stared up at the sky. Then you decided that you had yet another question to ask. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" he mumbled, as if he just randomly fell asleep in the snow.

"Is Peter Pan real too?" you ask innocently, drawing in the snow.

"I don't know; he lives in a different world from us. But since Santa and the Easter Bunny and everybody else are real, why can't Peter Pan be?"

You smile. You've always dreamed of flying off to NeverLand and never growing up. But, considering Jack's case, you didn't have to fly to NeverLand to stay a child; you could stay right here on Earth.

"The moon is so bright tonight," you say, awed. You reach for Jack's hand, almost surprising yourself when the expected shocks didn't happen.

"You mean today," Jack corrected, taking the hint and grasping your hand in his.

You blushed, thanking the Lord that it was dark out. "Right, I knew that."

"But, yeah, it is strangely bright." Jack went silent, deep in his thoughts. "I wonder," he finally mumbled out. "If he's sending a sign of some sort."

"He? Who's he?" you ask, still staring at the moon. Then, a bright light shown done upon you two, lighting the area surrounding you in a soft blue.

"Jack? What's that?" you asked nervously, subconsciously scooting closer to him, keeping your hand in his.

"I have a feeling this is one of those signs again," he whispered.

The blue light turned brighter where your hand met with Jack's.

_The journey begins_

_As you lie here_

_Through the winds_

_Whispers of care_

The voice from your dream spoke to both of you, causing your grip on Jack to tighten with nervousness.

"Don't be nervous, (F/N), he's here to help," Jack whispered in your ear, comforting you.

The blue light began to form sand-like strands around your wrist, doing the same with Jack's.

_Take these now_

_Hold them dear_

_They will allow_

_To keep the other near_

The sky-blue strands rested on your wrist, forming what appeared to be a bracelet.

"What the…?" you mutter, releasing Jack's hand and examining yours. The bracelet wasn't actually made of sand, it was the everyday string. You tugged on the sky-blue ribbon, but it bounced back, strong as steel. Three gems hung down from it, sparkling in the moonlight, which had faded back to normal. The gem on the left was a transparent snowflake, while the one on the right was a paintbrush, colored with every color imaginable. In the middle was a larger gem, the representation of the other two gems combined—which turned out to be a rainbow-colored snowflake against a transparent leaf backdrop.

You looked up at Jack, who was doing the same thing as you. You sat up and crawled to Jack's side, looking at his bracelet. It was identical to yours, except the gems didn't hang down from the string; it was glued against it.

"Weird…" Jack murmured, turning his hand back and forth. He looked at you, seeing how you had on the same puzzled look as he did.

"What's it do?" you asked, lifting your hand up to look at it in better light.

"Let's find out," Jack responded, holding your hand again.

The sparks didn't shoot up your arms, and you noticed how both of the bracelets glowed.

This startled both of you, and you jumped apart, looking at each other.

You dared to hold his hand again, and the bracelets again glowed.

You let go, and they dimmed.

"This is an odd little thing," you mutter, poking your wrist.

"_To keep the other near_…," Jack repeated quietly, staring at his wrist. "What is it, some kind of homing device?"

"Maybe, it's just creepy and it just appeared there, like, bam! You have a new set of jewelry!" you exclaimed, throwing your hands up in the air.

Jack laughed. "Let's try it like this." Jack lifted his hand up and spread his fingers apart, like it was against a window. You did the same, and the bracelets glowed.

"Wow…" you whispered. The bracelets began to glow brighter, but you didn't dare to let go, and neither did Jack. Soon, the glow was so bright it was white. The whiteness engulfed the both of you, sending you back to the world of whiteness; except this time you knew it wasn't a dream.

* * *

**Author's Note: Dun dun duuunnnnn! :D Okay, the whole bracelet thing wasn't originally planned, but it happened and I figured out what to do with it, but that's another thing for me to know and you (and Jack) to find out. XD So, yeah, the world of whiteness has a purpose, and so does the bracelets. _To keep the other near_. Remember that, for that's important. Oh, I would also kindly take any requests that will apply to this story, since this is also your adventure, not just mine. :D So, if you have an idea, I'll find a way to fit it in somehow, if it doesn't mess with the climax too much. :P The climax is going to be so epic, I can't wait to write it! But, that's like twenty chapters or so away, I presume. :( Anyways, bye-bye for now! I should be able to update this tomorrow, if not, definitely Wednesday. Ok, bye-bye! :D**


	6. World of Whiteness

**Starting Over**

6-World of Whiteness

You and Jack blinked a couple of times after the flash. Then you both put your hands down, plopping yourself on the ground.

"So, that was _interesting_," Jack muttered, crawling to sit beside you.

"Totally," you reply, rubbing your forehead.

You watched Jack as he felt around the floor, probably looking for his staff. "Hey!" he yelled, circling the area around him while still sitting on the floor. "My staff's gone!"

You shrugged innocently, all you know was that you left it lying in the snow beside you. Then you remembered that Jack brought your sketchbook, so you scanned the area for _that_.

"And so is my… sketchbook," you added, standing up and looking around, hand over your eyes like Indiana Jones.

"What is this _whiteness_ anyways?" Jack exclaimed, trying to grab the ground. "It's not snow." Then you heard a _thud_ as Jack punched the ground. "Ow!" he stood up, shaking his hand.

"Well, why'd you do _that_, for?" you scolded, shaking your head.

He walked up next to you, still holding his hand. "_Definitely_ not ice," he mumbled.

"You think ice _doesn't_ hurt?" you ask, giving him a weird look.

"I never knew it did. I just thought that since it was my own element, it wouldn't hurt me."

You rolled your eyes, a sigh escaping your lips. "Jack, you're Jack _Frost_, meaning that whatever ice you _touch_, it hardens to a thickness where you can't _punch_ through it."

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Right, yeah."

"Here, let me try," you offer, sitting down in a spot Jack wasn't at. You punched the ground, reacting the same way Jack did, just not as loud. You stood up and shook you hand, blood throbbing through your veins. "Ow, okay, _definitely_ not ice."

Jack gave you a look that said 'I told you so'.

"It's weird, this place," you mutter, trying to figure out the science behind it.

"Yeah, for one, why does it _exist_?!" Jack sighed, staring at his bracelet again.

"Because…," you mumble, thoughts clicking together in your head. "Because, we created it."

"Huh?" Jack said loudly, tilting his head to one side.

You nodded excitedly, things started to actually make sense. "We _created_ it, Jack," you repeated, a smile forming on your lips. "When our hands touch, the bracelets glow. The window hand-holding thingy-ma-bobby was the key to, like; transport us to this white world."

"And _why_ would we want to travel to this world of whiteness?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

"That is something I have to find out still," you replied, beginning to pace back and forth. "And… and, and,—"

"And _what_?" he cut in, getting impatient.

"And…" you laughed, watching Jack's face when you repeated yourself again. "And since we weren't holding my sketchbook and your staff, they just stayed in the snowy mountains of the North Pole; while we just teleported here—for the sake of science, of course."

"And curiosity," Jack added, unfolding his arms. "So, Miss Scientist, how do we get out of here?" He walked over to you and sort of looked down at you, causing you to laugh harder.

"Why don't we try to go back the way we came?"

Jack paused. "Yeah, that would be the smart thing to do."

"Yeah, duh. Wait a sec," you said suddenly, holding your finger up. "I see something."

"Something besides whiteness?"

You giggled. "Yeah, something besides that."

Jack perked up a bit. "Okay, _now_ I'm interested."

"Well, then follow me, smart-aleck," you wave to him, already walking to the prints in the ground. You knelt down beside it, staring at it. Before you were a set of animal prints, what looked to be prints of a horse. With your finger, you traced the outlines of the print, curious as to what they belonged to. "Come with me," you whisper to Jack, following the trail of hoof prints.

Jack felt uneasy, and you could tell by the way he walked beside you. You took his hand, watching the bracelets glow and wondering why you kept holding his hand. You've only known the boy for two days, and you thought that it was moving a little too fast.

You shook those thoughts out of your head, now curious as to why you kept thinking those thoughts. You needed to focus on the prints ahead of you, which seemed to be multiplying.

"(F/N)," Jack whispered, gripping your hand tighter. "Something doesn't feel right, let's head back."

"To _where_, Jack?" you asked him, motioning to the whiteness surrounding you. "I have a feeling that our location in this world is the same as on Earth, and we kind of didn't mark the spot we flashed into. It would take forever to find our stuff at this point. So, we'll just keep moving forward."

By now, the prints were disappearing again, until you walked past the last one and back into a circle of nothingness.

"See?" you smirked, pointing to everything around you. "There's nothing bad happening, we're fine."

Jack smirked, pushing you away. "Alright, you little smarty-pants, it doesn't hurt to stay on the safe side."

You frowned, kneeling back down on the ground. "But I'm curious as to why those prints are there. They didn't lead anywhere."

Jack knelt beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Well, didn't you say that our location here was the same on Earth?"

You nodded, looking in Jack's ice-blue eyes. Your heart pounded faster, and you quickly looked away again.

"Well, why don't we find out where we are Earth-wise? Coming back the way we came, I believe you said?" Jack smiled, standing up and holding a hand out to you.

You smiled, taking his hand and letting him pull you up. "Alright, let's do this," you say confidently, holding your hand up, palm facing towards Jack. He did the same, and the bracelets glowed until the whiteness engulfed you again.

* * *

North was idling around the globe room, eating a cookie. He glanced to the globe, and thought he saw Jack's staff leaning against the counter. He looked away, then quickly turned his head around again, making sure his eyes were working properly. He walked over to the staff and, looking at the counter; saw a sketchbook lying near it.

"Jack…," North muttered, scanning the room for the white-haired teenager. He picked up the sketchbook and turned it back and forth in his big hands. "…draws?"

A flash of light blocked his vision for a second, and once it cleared; he couldn't believe it.

Before him stood Jack and a mortal girl, their hands in a frozen high-five position.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update yesterday! My dad lost his job and is trying to get a new one and all of his stuff was spread about the computer desk and I was afraid to do anything and mess everything up and then when I did get the chance, I realized that when I typed up stuff in a Mac at school I forgot to make it compatible with Windows Word 2002 at my home so I couldn't finish what I typed, so I was sad... and bored. Like I lost a friend when I couldn't be writing because this story is just so awesome to write! I promise you, it's gonna be epic! :D So... what do you think North's reaction will be to the sudden appearance of Jack with you? And what do you think the purpose of the world of whiteness is? I already know but I want to know what you think, because I'm a reader too and I like to know the views of the readers compared to the author's view. It's very interesting to me how different they can be. :P I just rambled nonsense but I don't care. XD I'll try to get Chapter 7 up today if I can, because I feel bad about not updating yesterday, because I knew I would've yesterday, I was _this_ close to finishing, but the silly Mac conversion thingy is just.. argh! Anyways, good bye-bye for now and enjoy your adventure with Jack! Oh, and you're going to arrive back home kind of really late, so your mom might be really mad when that chapter comes, just giving you a warning. XD K, bye-bye!**


	7. Santa's Workshop

**Starting Over**

7-Santa's Workshop

You and Jack slowly lowered your arms, opening your eyes to meet his.

"Did it work?" you mutter to him, not noticing the big man freaking out beside you.

Jack looked around him, then back at you. "Yep," he smiled, sticking a hand in his pocket. He nodded his head towards North's private workshop. "Let's go find Santa."

Your eyes widened in excitement, not wanting to wait any longer to see the jolly fat man of your childhood days.

"Looking for me?" a voice with a thick Russian accent spoke.

You and Jack alike jumped about ten feet in the air, except Jack sort of stayed _in_ the air.

"North! Buddy! I didn't see you there!" Jack exclaimed, floating down in front of the giant man.

Your jaw dropped to the floor at the sight of Santa. He _did not_ look like how you expected him to be. He was tall and stocky, with at least some fat around his waist—still not what you expected though. He also had tattoos on both of his arms—'naughty' on one, 'nice' on the other. You cringed when you noticed two lethal-looking swords resting in the sheaths of his belt.

Santa—who Jack had called North—laughed heartily, and you calmed down when you saw the jolly look in his ocean blue eyes. "I figured you didn't, which is why I startled you!" he explained, holding his belly as he laughed on. Once he calmed down, he motioned towards you, and you unintentionally moved towards Jack, trying to hide behind him. "And who is this lovely lady, may I ask?"

"It's okay," Jack whispered in your ear, trying to comfort you. "He's just a big, soft kitty, really." You relaxed, and inched forward to stand next to him. Then, to North, "This is (F/N)," he introduced for you.

North smiled. "Is she that mortal girl Manny told us about?"

_What?_ You think, looking at Jack. _Manny? Who's Manny?_

Jack looked down, swaying on the balls of his bare feet. "Actually, that's what I came to ask you about."

North looked surprised. "Oh, okay. Want me to call other Guardians?" he offered.

_Guardians? Why does that sound familiar?_ you think to yourself, still inching closer to Jack.

Jack smiled, looking back up at North. "Yeah, that might help."

North grinned. "Well, alright. Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right back." He winked at you and walked to the counter by the globe.

"Follow me," Jack whispered to you, taking your hand and leading down one of the many hallways.

"That was _Santa_?" you ask once you were out of earshot.

Jack laughed. "Not what you expected, huh? I probably should've warned you."

You rolled your eyes. "You _think_? Those swords look like they could kill somebody."

"Well, they _can_ kill somebody." You widened your eyes, grabbing his hand tighter. "_But_, he wouldn't have the heart to kill anyone. He's still Santa Claus, you know."

You exhaled sharply, loosening your grip on Jack.

"Here we are," he said, pushing open a giant wooden door covered in frost. You gaped at the sight in front of you, it was so magnificent. "It'll take a while before the others get here, so we'll just hang out here."

"Is, is this your _room_?" you managed to stumble out, staring at the icicles hanging from the ceiling about forty feet up.

Jack smirked. "Yep, made especially for me."

"Wow," you muttered, trying to take the beauty in all at once. There wasn't much to it, since Jack didn't have to change clothes and he really didn't live here every day like North does. The walls were a deep blue, with white frost spreading like pine trees across them. Snow acted like trim, lining the floor all around the room. Jack's bed was simple, the covers the same color as his eyes. Next to the bed on the wall was a 3-D snowflake, made to hold Jack's staff up against the wall as he slept.

Jack picked you up bridal style and slid across the floor—which you realized was made out of ice. He gently laid you down on his bed, which was so soft you almost disappeared in it.

He sat down on the side of the bed and stared at his bracelet, poking the snowflake gem.

You felt a slight tinkle on your wrist, and you looked at your bracelet. The snowflake itself began to glow.

"Hey, Jack?" you ask, still staring at the gem.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, putting his arm down and looking at you.

The glow on the snowflake went out. "Oh, wait. Do that again."

"Do what again?"

"Poke the snowflake on your bracelet. I think it was causing mine to glow."

He looked at you weird, but did it anyway. The gem on your bracelet brightened up again, and when you looked at Jack's, his was too.

"Cool…" you mutter, sitting up and putting Jack's arm back down. "You could stop poking yourself now," you smirked, getting off the bed; which was a huge mistake.

You slipped on the ice and fell down hard on your butt.

Jack laughed but instantly picked you up again, bringing you up into the air.

You screamed and hugged him tight, hiding your face in his blue hoodie.

"Didn't that hurt?" Jack asked between laughs, flying higher until the icicles were at poking distance.

You nodded, too afraid to say anything out loud.

"Oh, well, you didn't react, so I needed to make sure."

"The ice fall doesn't compare with being flown up twenty feet in the air!" you managed to complain, digging your fingers into Jack's jacket.

He tried not to laugh, but failed. He slowly began descending, and you relaxed a little. "Oh, you'll get used to it. I find it quite fun, actually."

"Yeah, okay, _fun_," you mutter angrily. You felt the soft covers under your feet again and tried to fall back into them but Jack wouldn't let go.

Instead—with a smirk on his face—he pushed you backwards, causing you to bounce when you hit the blanket.

You were mad that he did that, but you couldn't help but laugh. You pulled him down with his pant legs, causing him to fall on top of you. You both laughed until you realized how close you were to Jack's face. Then an awkward silence followed, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. Then Jack slid off you, lying down beside you and staring at the ceiling.

"So," he coughed; his cheeks still blue. "Do you want to play I Spy?"

You giggled. "Well, everything's kind of blue in here, so it could be anything."

Jack smirked. "All the more fun."

You smiled. "Alright, I spy something blue."

"The wall," Jack guessed, smiling wide.

"Yep, your turn."

"Hmm… something difficult…" he murmured, rubbing his chin as if he had a beard.

You laughed, pushing him away from you. "Hey! I didn't make it hard for you!"

"Nothing's hard for me," he smirked, scooting back to you. "Anyways, I spy something blue."

"The floor?" you guessed, even though it was more clear than anything.

"Nope, try again."

"The covers?"

"Oh!" Jack shouted, pretending that he got shot in the chest. "You got me!" He fell down in the bed, trying to be dead.

"Oh no! I'm a murderer!" you played along, covering your mouth with your hands. "Oh, Lord! Have mercy on me!" You fell back into the bed next to Jack, who was trying not to laugh as to not ruin his cover.

Deep laughter echoed from the doorway as North made his presence known. "Oh, I just love children," he said, smiling at you and Jack. You both sat up, the smiles disappearing from your face. "You guys can come on back now, the others are here." With that, North turned around and left, leaving you and Jack alone again.

"Who are the others?" you ask Jack, sitting up and crawling to the edge of the bed.

"Oh, just the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Kangaroo," he replied, flying over the bed and landing in front of you, extending an arm out to you.

"Kangaroo? I thought he was a bunny," you question, looking at Jack funny. You took his hand and held onto it tight as to not slip on the ice again.

Jack laughed. "Oh, he's a bunny, don't worry about that. I just thought he was a kangaroo at first—actually, no, I just did that to torment him—but the name sort of stuck."

"Oh," you giggle. The door was finally within reach and you grabbed onto it, releasing Jack's hand so you could step on solid, non-slippery ground. Then you followed him in silence to the globe room, where a short golden man, a large hummingbird creature, and an extremely tall rabbit stood in a circle, discussing something amongst themselves.

"Guardians!" North bellowed, coming up from behind you. The three creatures stopped chattering—well, actually two, the golden man displayed images over his head—and stood at the attention. "Man in Moon's prophecy may have come true." He motioned to you, who began to hide behind Jack again.

"Is that the girl? Oh my gosh, she's so pretty! I recognize her, must've been one of my special pick-ups, how are her teeth?" the hummingbird creature rambled, flying towards you excitedly.

Jack stood in front of you protectively, frowning at her. "Hands out of mouth, Tooth," he warned, but you could hear the hint of a smile in his voice. You figured that she must be the Tooth Fairy, so you smiled and waved at her.

Tooth—which is what Jack called her—smiled back at you. "By the way, your teeth are absolutely beautiful," she murmured. You figured she examined them when you had smiled.

"So, anyways," Jack said, moving back to your side. "That's Tooth, obviously," he introduced. Then he motioned to the golden man. "That's the Sandman, but we call him Sandy. He doesn't talk, and it's pretty hard to understand what he is saying when he does his image talking thing." Sandy smiled at you, waving a little. You smiled back, deciding you liked the little man. "And," Jack continued, waving to the large bunny. "The Easter—"

"Kangaroo," you finished for him, laughing. He laughed with you, ignoring the steaming bunny charging up to him.

"Why'd you teach her that, Frostbite?" he snarled, an Australian accent noticeable in his smooth voice. You backed away as Jack and the Easter Bunny stared each other down. "I already have to deal with you, and I am still going with my original statement. This prophecy should've been ignored and thrown away."

Jack's shoulders slumped at the bunny's comment. "We can't just _throw_ her away, Bunny. Some people actually have feelings, you know."

The Easter Bunny threw his head back, mocking shock. "Oh, oh, and I don't have _feelings_? What about me and my feelings?"

"Not everything is about you, Bunny," Jack growled, clenching his fists.

"Guys, guys," North interrupted, grabbing both boys by the collar and pulling them apart. "Not in front of (F/N)." He put them back down and walked towards the globe. The Easter Bunny stalked back to North and Jack walked back to you, still glaring at the bunny.

"So, (F/N), what brings you to the North Pole?" Tooth asked, flying back to you but staying at a normal distance.

"Actually, it's more _who_ brought me here, not what," you smirked, nodding your head towards Jack.

Jack blushed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, really?" Tooth giggled, fixing some of her head feathers. "Well, Jack, what's the reason?"

"He told me that he wanted to know if she was girl from prophecy," North interrupted, Bunny still pouting beside him.

You looked down at your bracelet, and at Jack's. You wondered if this had something to do with this prophecy they were talking about.

"And she wanted to meet Santa," Jack added, nudging your shoulder.

You smiled, still staring at your bracelet.

North noticed this and walked over to you. "What's this, young one?" he asked kindly, lifting your arm up.

"Um, I was about to ask you that," you stuttered. "It just appeared there a little while ago when we were lying in the mountainside."

"Appeared?" North repeated, looking at the gems. "How about moon?"

"Moon?" you asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, was the moon big, bright, tiny, what did it do?"

"It was super bright, making our hands look blue."

"Our? Does Jack have—,"

"Yeah," Jack cut in, lifting his arm up too. North also took his wrist, comparing the bracelets. His eyes widened, causing you to become nervous.

"She's the one, alright," he muttered, releasing your arm.

You and Jack looked at each other, the same look on both of your faces.

* * *

After the discovery, Tooth had led you back to her room, where you wouldn't fall and hurt yourself. Bunnymund and Sandy left too, leaving Jack and North alone.

"Jack, come with me," North ordered, walking to his workshop. Jack ran to keep up with him, wondering what else could be new. When he entered North's private workshop, Jack stayed in the doorframe, leaning against it.

North whistled as he rummaged through drawers in his desk, clearly looking for something. He laughed when he found it, lifting it up against the light. He held a small book in his hand, orange with a leather backing, held shut with a leaf lock. He walked back to Jack and held it out to him.

"Take this, Jack," he said, becoming serious.

"Why?" Jack asked curiously, cautiously taking the book in his hands.

"It's a journal," North stated.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Why would I need a journal for?"

"Look, Jack, this isn't a game," he said seriously, crossing his arms. "Man in Moon sent me this book for you to keep. He says that you must write down everything (F/N) says, does, and dreams in it."

Jack stared at North, lost and confused. "Everything she does?"

"Every tiny little thing, down to the tiniest feelings."

"But why?"

North shrugged. "Manny must find it necessary for her memories to be written down somewhere."

Jack glanced down at the ground, watching a little elf scurry away from him, probably afraid that he was going to freeze him. "Okay," he murmured, putting the journal in his pocket.

North smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That's my Jack."

"She's not going to die, is she?" he asked, fear and sadness evident in his voice.

North shrugged, walking out the door. "Only Manny knows, but, hopefully not."

Jack nodded, flying slowly behind North.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" North asked, giving Jack a knowing look.

Jack's eyes widened when he caught the hint. "Oh, right, yeah, I do." He began to fly towards Tooth's room, but not before grabbing his staff and your sketchbook.

"And remember, Jack. Every little thing," North added to the distracted boy.

"Right, got it." Jack then flew back to Tooth's room, now weighed down with the responsibility of keeping your memories safe.

* * *

**Author's Note: Quick note, gotta run to school, but updating later and Jack will have some diary inserts in the beginning now. :D Bye!**


	8. Room Tours

**Author's Note: See? I told you I'd update later! And get a proper author's note in this time. I meant to update last night since I finished the chapter but a new episode from the Big Bang Theory came on and I sort of used up all my computer time by then and there wasn't enough time for me to sneak in an update so I did it this morning. And, if I were saying the sentence out loud right now, I'd be out of breath. XD Anyways, yeah, Jack's got the journal thing to keep your memories safe, but I don't want to cause any spoilers here because it'll just pre-blow your mind and I have this feeling that the climax is going to be so epic! :D Well, I kind of know since I've pre-blown my own mind by writing out the climax already when I've only written 8 chapters and the most exciting part is _writing_ the most exciting part, but, yeah. :D Anyways, I'll just say something is going to happen that the Man in Moon didn't plan on happening. :P So, here's Chapter 8! The pace is picking up a little, hopefully a little romance in the next chapter, hmm? lol :D Oh, and when I was writing the descriptions of the Guardians' rooms I was freaking out because they look so epicly A-MAZ-ING! Yeah, maybe too much suger today... So, if you want to draw the rooms out you can, I'd always like to see somebody else's fan art. If I get the chance I'd draw them myself but I'm better at drawing people than rooms so it probably stink. Anyways, I'm holding you from reading the story so I'll stop rambling. XD lol :P Oh, and I'm not going to write the actual yelling scene with your mother, I'll start with the morning after. Is that alright with you? Okay, I'll stop now. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

8-Room Tours

_Day 1_

_December 10__th_

_Hi, so apparently I have to write every little thing (F/N) does in this thing. Anyways, so far we had two snowball wars, a game of I Spy, and a flight to the North Pole. Oh, and we got these weird bracelet thingies that light up when our hands touch. And North says that she is the girl from the prophecy which would probably explain why I would feel like I've known her forever but it's only been two days. Oh, and we had the same dream in this world of whiteness and we also both went there ourselves in real life. She believes it's some kind of transportation teleporter thingy and that our location there matches our location here but it's freakin' white everywhere there so how could we tell where we are? I don't know, but anyways, I believe that's everything._

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost_

You were sitting in Tooth's room when Jack flew in.

"Hey Jack!" you greeted excitedly, running around the room. "This room is so epic!"

Jack smirked playfully, crossing his arms. "Not as epic as mine, right?"

"Nope, it's more," you laughed evilly, dunking when Jack threw a snowball at you.

"Really? You _dare_ to challenge me?" he taunted, forming another snowball out of thin air.

You noticed that he had his staff back and your sketchbook in his pocket. "Yeah, I beat you before, and you had your staff!" you said confidently, dodging another snowball.

"Yeah, but this time you don't have ammo," he smirked, making another snowball and throwing it at your face.

You dodged it and slid under Tooth's bed. You loved the way her bed looked; it was like a nest but not like a nest at the same time. The legs of the bed were made out of molars, a bright white in the pink and yellow room. The actual bed was made like a bird's nest, covered with pink pillows and blankets on the top. The whole thing was hidden from view in a shimmery pink canopy trimmed with thin, white floss.

"Hey! Don't be hiding on me!" Jack yelled, flying down and looking under the bed. He found you and threw his snowball right at your face, covering you in wet coldness.

"Ah! Ah! I'm drowning!" you imitated, squirming around under the bed. Jack laughed, laying his staff down beside him.

"And I shall come to save you!" he added, diving under the bed with you.

You freaked out, still laughing. "Oh no! I'm going to get saved! Ah!" Jack grabbed you around the waist and started tickling you. You laughed harder, tears starting to fall from your eyes. "Hey! How'd you know I was ticklish there?"

Jack grinned. "I didn't. Every girl is ticklish there."

"Oh, you little pervert," you giggled, not having the same effect you wanted due to the laughter.

"Hey, I'm only fourteen."

"Plus 300 years," you added, turning around to grin evilly at him.

"Oh? You saying I'm old?" he warned, flipping you over so he was on top of you.

"No, I'm just saying you're not fourteen anymore," you retorted, lacing your arms around his shoulders.

"So, what am I, then?" he taunted, his cool breath blowing into your face.

You almost forgot to reply when the scent of pine and wintergreen entered your nose. It was almost like a potion, hypnotizing you. "Jack Frost," you finally reply, smirking slightly.

You noticed Jack had the same hypnotized look on his face, and you tried to remember what shampoo you used recently, since you realized you forgot to shower this morning.

"You smell like strawberries," he replied randomly, moving closer ever so slightly. "I like that," he whispered in your ear, sending chills down your back. You felt him moving closer to you, and you closed your eyes; not bothering to push him away, mainly because you didn't _want_ to.

"Hey! (F/N)? Are you in here? North decided it would be a good idea for me to give you a tour around the place," Tooth shouted as you listened to her wings flap constantly around the room. Jack pulled away quietly, trying to act normal.

You were a little disappointed that Tooth interrupted, you were _this close_ to actually kissing Jack, which startled you when you thought of it.

Two days and you nearly—well, he nearly—kissed you.

Wow.

You crawled out from under the bed, smiling and waving at Tooth. "I'm right here, Tooth!"

Tooth smiled back, flying over and taking you by the hand. "Come along with me, dear. We still have two other Guardian rooms and the rest of the workshop to show you."

You let her drag you along, leaving Jack alone in her room.

"I'll show you Sandy's first, since he's closest," Tooth explained, leading you down the hallway past Jack's room and what looked like a secret entrance somewhere else.

She noticed you staring at the entrance and giggled sweetly. "That leads to the toy shop. We'll get that on the way back. Here's Sandy's room here." She pushed open a small golden door and knelt down to look inside it. "Each room is shaped specifically for the Guardian, so it's almost like a personal hiding spot that no one can enter," she explained, answering your unasked question. You knelt down beside the fairy and peeked inside. The room was completely empty, showing off the golden walls that sparkled in the dim light.

"Why is it so empty?" you ask, feeling the rough texture of the golden sand floor with your fingers.

"You know what Sandy does, right?" Tooth asked. You nodded; knowing that he brought dreams to everyone in the world.

"Well, he can use his sand and bend it to his will. You should probably come back when Sandy is actually using his room; it looks different each time, but equally as magnificent. One time he made his room look like a medieval French castle, oh my gosh, you should've saw it. It was beautiful! I haven't seen one of those rooms for a long time and to see it Sandy's way, it was—oh gosh—it was just stunning."

Your eyes widened at her description, in awe of what the Sandman could do. "Wow, that sounds awesome."

Tooth nodded. "Yeah, it was." She quietly shut the golden door and began to fly again. "Let's go see Bunnymund's room."

"Bunnymund is his full name?"

"Did Jack only tell you his name was the Easter Kangaroo?"

You laughed. "Pretty much."

Tooth giggled with you. "Silly Jack. Anyways, no, that's not his full name. His full name is E. Aster Bunnymund—don't ask me what the 'E' stands for—but it's easier just to call him 'Bunny' or 'Bunnymund'."

"Why is his name so long?"

She shrugged, pushing open a huge wooden door. "I don't know, but we're here."

You frowned, only seeing a gray wall just a few inches away from the door. "That's his _room_?"

Tooth laughed. "Look down, honey." You looked down and saw a hole in the ground, leading into darkness. You looked at Tooth, a little nervous. "Well, go on."

You nodded and gulped, looking back down into the dark hole. You closed your eyes and jumped in; breathing again when you realized it was only a few feet down and bright as daylight. You followed the green tunnel until it opened up into a large green cavern, a flower bed off to the left of the room.

Your jaw dropped. It was like you walked into a forever springtime forest, just neater. You giggled, falling down into the lush green grass. "It just keeps getting more epic with each room I see!" you shout, picking a blue flower and sniffing it. "Honeysuckle," you murmur, holding the flower to your chest.

Tooth laughed, flying over to you and looking down at you. "I see you like his room? I know, I do too, it's just so, so _alive_ and green and spring-like, it's just beautiful."

You nodded, grinning up at the green and purple fairy. "Spring is my favorite season. It's just the right temperature to go outside without a jacket and you don't burn up in the heat either. And there aren't a lot of bugs and spiders just yet to get in your way of enjoying the outdoors."

Tooth nodded in agreement. "Just don't tell Jack that," she winked, and you nearly laughed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I bet'cha he wouldn't like that, being the winter spirit and all."

"Yeah, he probably wouldn't. Anyways, want to see the workshop now?"

You stood up quickly, nodding your head in excitement. "Yeah! I want to see how the elves make the toys!"

Tooth giggled, shaking your head. "Well, you're in for a big surprise then, honey."

You skipped up the tunnel and into the hallway, waiting for Tooth to fly back up. You still held the blue flower in your hand, and you twirled it, looking at it from different angles. It sort of looked like there were magic sparkles falling down from the petals.

Tooth flew back up and began flying back to the mysterious doors you passed earlier. She opened them, and you hopped into a cart similar to an elevator. You went down, grinning the whole way. The door opened and Tooth led you through masses of large tan creatures with white mustaches working on mini-toys of all sorts.

"What are they?" you whispered to Tooth, eyeing the massive creatures wearily.

"They're yetis, (F/N). They make the toys, only because the actual elves are too careless to make satisfactory toys for the kids," Tooth explained, pointing to a group of elves who were currently having their own little paintball war.

Your mouth opened in shock, smiling a little at the tiny elves. They looked like little red hats with arms and legs stumbling across the floor.

One elf tugged at your boot lace, giving you a look of confusion. You gave him the same look back, not sure what the elf was trying to do.

"He doesn't recognize you," Tooth whispered, signaling to the elf that you were friendly. The elf watched Tooth and smiled, letting go of your boot and scurrying away, probably to blow up his fellow elf friends.

You giggled, looking at the wondrous sight around you. "I can't believe that I actually stopped believing in all of this," you murmur, watching mini UFO's soar through the air.

Tooth nodded solemnly. "Yeah, well, it is a part of nature. A part I'm not very fond of, but it happens."

You put on a soldier face and stood tall, still watching the yetis work away, being two weeks left 'till Christmas. "Yeah, well, I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen," you say confidently, already planning on trying to convince your friends at home to start believing again.

The thought of home made you realize something you should've realized a long time ago. You got scared and quickly began freaking out.

"(F/N)? What's wrong?" Tooth asked worriedly, placing a tiny hand on your shoulder.

"Crap, where's Jack? I need to get home, or my mom's going to have a fit," you rushed out, looking everywhere for a sign of the white-haired teen. "Actually, she's gonna have a fit either way, but I'd rather her be mad at me than to think someone murdered me or something."

Tooth freaked out next to you, knowing exactly how you felt. "Oh dear, yeah. That is not good. I'll go find Jack." She flew away, leaving you in the middle of a busy intersection. You quickly wound a path through the yetis, trying not to disrupt their work.

"Sorry," you muttered apologetically to one of the yetis, accidentally knocking down on of his toys. The yeti didn't do anything to you, just groaned and did a face-desk. You giggled slightly at his reaction, loving every part of this trip to the North Pole.

"(F/N)?" Jack called, spotting you and flying to your side, taking your hand. "There you are," he smiled, and you noticed a change in his eyes, something you didn't see in there before.

"Yeah, I got lost in the yetis. But, I really have to get home Jack, my mom's gonna kill me."

Jack's eyes widened. "She's not going to actually _kill_ you, is she?"

You laughed. "No, but I'm going to get in serious trouble. What time is it anyways?"

"Um, last time I checked, it was about one o'clock," he replied, looking at the ceiling for help.

"In the afternoon?" you ask hopefully, your eyes lighting up.

"In the morning," Jack replied, and you froze up.

"Oh no, I'm doomed," you mutter, smacking yourself in the head.

Jack got nervous also and began pulling you to the elevator. "Well, let's stop worrying and get going."

You nodded and swung yourself on his back, ready to actually fly this time.

"Hold on tight," he whispered, flying up the elevator and out one of the windows. "Wind!" he shouted, feeling the wind whipping at your hair. "Take us to (F/N)'s home!" The wind picked up and hurtled you through the sky, and you had the bravery to look up and see the view below you.

"Woah," you whisper as you watch the city lights flash by below you.

Jack laughed. "Actually looking this time?"

"Yeah, it's so cool," you reply in awe of the fact that Jack got to see this everyday.

"Yeah, well, look now because we're almost to your home."

"Aw…" you said involuntarily, not wanting him to stop flying.

"Told you you'd like it," he boasted, slowing down and descending from the night sky. You gave him a playful frown, sliding off his back as he landed in the white snow. You took his free hand—the other was twirling his staff—and watched as the bracelets lit up again. You walked in silence until you reached your front porch, releasing his hand and turning around so your back was to the door.

"Thanks for the trip, Jack," you thanked him, giving him a warm hug. He hugged you back, hiding his face in your hair. You pulled away, smiling at each other for a minute.

"No, thank you, (F/N)," he replied, reaching into his pocket. "Oh, and this is yours." He handed you your sketchbook and you took it, holding it under your non-bracelet arm.

"Did you draw me another picture?" you asked innocently, swaying on the balls of your feet.

You watched Jack's cheeks turn blue in the moonlight. "You found that fast," he murmured, looking down at the ground.

You smiled, pulling him in for another hug. "I never said I didn't like it, silly boy." You pulled away again, grasping the door knob. "See you tomorrow?"

Jack smirked, another retort forming in his head. "You mean, today?"

You rolled your eyes, but still had a smile on your face. "You know what I mean."

"No, I don't. You could literally mean tomorrow and I'd miss seeing you all of today and—"

"Not all of today, there was the hour spent from midnight to one."

"You were with Tooth," he corrected.

You blushed. "Oh, right, yeah, I was. But there was still the flight back!" you added hopefully, letting go of the handle to put your hand up in the air.

"Yeah, okay smarty-pants. See you later?"

"Yeah, come wake me up. Or even better, save me from my mother's torrent."

"Alright, will try," he responded, getting ready to fly away.

"You better do more than try, mister," you scolded, having no effect whatsoever due to your constant smiling.

"Alright, alright, princess, don't be such a mommy," he teased, lightly tapping your shoulder.

"Why are good-byes always so stretched out?" you wondered out loud, grabbing the door knob again.

"Because of statements like that," Jack smirked, floating a few inches of the ground.

"Look who's the smarty-pants now, huh?" you muttered, laughing quietly.

"(F/N)? Who are you talking to?" your mother's voice from inside asked. Your eyes widened in fear and you quickly shoved Jack off you porch.

"Go now! Or we'll both be in trouble!" you whisper-shouted to him.

"(F/N), she can't—"

"Now!"

Jack obeyed, never bothering to finish his sentence. You waited 'till he was out of sight before you responded to your mom.

"No one, mother! Just trying to get in the house!" you shouted, even though you knew the door was going to be unlocked.

"Yeah, you better get in this house, young lady! Don't you know what time it is?" she yelled through the door.

You rolled your eyes, wishing you could've just slept in Jack's room overnight. Although, then you would be in even more trouble than you were now, so, it was best just to go in. "Yes, mother! It's one o' clock in the morning!"

"No! It's one thirty! Now get in the house right now and tell me what the hell you were doing being out so late?!"

You groaned, slowly opening the door. You took a deep breath and prepared for your mother's complaints. "Alright, Mom, I'm in. Fire away."


	9. The City of Lights

**Starting Over**

9-The City of Lights

_Day 2_

_December 11th_

_Okay, yesterday was amazing. (F/N) and I had another mini snowball war—except she didn't really have anything to throw at me. Then I starting tickling her, and her reaction was super funny. Somehow I managed—okay, not somehow, I did it on purpose—to get on top of her and sort of got her into a trance. She smelled like strawberries… Ah, stop it, Jack! Stop it! Anyways, I had gotten _really_ close to kissing her, and she was actually going to let me. I think that means something. So, then the moment was ruined when Tooth flew in and took her on a tour around North's place. According to (F/N), she finds the whole place absolutely epic, but she won't say which room she liked the most. I hope it is mine. Oh, and I have big plans for her today, I think she'll love it. _

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost_

You woke up in the morning to a cool breeze blowing through your open window. Despite your mother's complaints last night, you left the window open so Jack could just fly in at his own convenience.

Which today he did.

"Morning, princess," he greeted, twirling his staff and walking over to the side of your bed.

"Hey, Jack," you murmured sleepily, rubbing the dream sand out of your eyes. "What time is it?"

"Oh, about nine thirty-ish," he replied, plopping down beside you.

You widened your eyes in shock. "Wow, that's early compared to how late I stayed up last night."

"Maybe because you're super-excited?" Jack offered, helping you sit up.

You grinned. "Maybe. It depends on what you have planned today."

"It depends?" Jack repeated, getting that playful look in his eyes again.

You laughed, lightly pushing him. "Yeah, compared to last night, you better have stepped up your game."

"My game? Why does it have to be me?"

"Uh, because you're my transportation," you said, smirking.

"Who says we have to go anywhere?" he teased, starting to tickle you again.

"Oh, Jack! Stop!" you cried between giggles. He obeyed and waited for your breathing to return to normal, laughing whilst doing so.

"Yeah, you're right, however. We are going somewhere today," he said, standing up and leaning against your bedroom wall.

You bounced in your bed, more excited than ever before. "Where are we going today?"

"You'll see," he replied, smirking at your reaction. "Well, get dressed and let's get going before it gets dark."

"Dark?" you question, confused. "But you said it was like nine thirty in the morning."

"Yeah," Jack confirmed, his white hair shaking with his head. "But where we're heading it's a different story."

Adrenaline pumped in your veins as you wondered where he was taking you to. "Oo, different time zone, huh?" you taunted, getting up and opening your dresser.

"Ah, you're not supposed to know that, (F/N)," he scolded, leaning his staff against the wall and hopping out the window as you got changed. You laughed as you pulled on a turquoise sweater and a pair of skinny jeans, trying to look nicer than you did yesterday. You slipped on some socks and your boots, giggling quietly as you listened to Jack mumbling to some of the winter animals out there.

You stuck your head out the window, surprised that the wind chill didn't affect you. "I'm ready!" you shouted, smiling at Jack.

Jack smiled back, flying back inside. "Hey, you look nice today," he complimented as he gave you the once-over.

You blushed, running a hand through your hair. "Eh, it's not like I try."

He laughed, sticking a hand in his pocket. "Well, you ready?"

You put on your coat and smiled. "Yep. There's just one problem—I'm grounded."

"Like grounded as in stay in your room grounded or stay out of the sky grounded?" he smirked.

Your eyes lit up when you figured out what Jack was getting at. "Stay in my room grounded," you laughed, grabbing his hand. "But, she doesn't have to know that I'm not in here, because she'll never see me leave!"

"Oo, you're a little troublemaker, aren't ya?" he teased, swinging you on his back.

You hid your face in the crook of his neck, still laughing. "I'd say a bit of you is rubbing off of me."

"That's fine with me." The wind picked up, blowing some of the things in your room around. "Here we go!" You were blown out of your room and up into the clear winter sky, holding onto Jack for dear life.

You were already past what looked like New York City when you realized something.

"Hey Jack?" you asked into his blue hoodie.

"Yeah?" he shouted over the wind.

"You kind of left your staff in my room."

"I know, we won't be needing it."

You gave Jack a confused look, but said nothing more.

* * *

You must've fallen asleep on Jack's back because the next thing you knew was that you were on solid ground again.

"We're here, (F/N)," he murmured, taking your hand and leading you to an empty bench in an empty park.

"Where's here?" you asked, blinking your eyes repeatedly.

"Oh, just the City of Lights, I suppose," he said as if it meant nothing.

Your eyes widened in shock, covering your mouth with your hands to keep from screaming. "Paris?! You took me to Paris?!" you shouted.

"Oh no, not the fan-girl scream again," he complained, hiding himself behind his hands.

You laughed, pulling his hands away from his face. "No, I won't do it again. But, still, not every guy I know flies me to freakin' Paris."

"Well, that's good. Makes me stick out," he said proudly.

You smiled, lying down on the bench, letting your legs hang off the side. "Yeah, you're pretty high in my book."

"Pretty high? I better be on the top, at least by tonight," he said, ruffling your hair.

"What's tonight?" you ask, since you thought the trip to Paris was the ticket.

He laughed, standing up again. "You'll find out soon enough. Let's get going, though, the sun's gonna set in about an hour." He extended a hand out to help you up, which you graciously took. The bracelets lit up once again, and you continued to wonder what their purpose was.

"Set in an hour? But you said it was nine-thirty in the morning!" you questioned, confused.

"That was an hour ago, back at your house. Different time-zone, remember?"

You blushed, looking at your feet. "Right, yeah, I knew that."

Jack put an arm around your shoulder, causing you to shiver slightly. "Anyways, let's get going. Sight-seeing to do!"

"Yeah! Oh my gosh, all the stuff we could do!" you added excitedly, really pumped up for the day ahead—or night ahead, in this case.

"Um, just remember one thing, (F/N)," Jack said seriously. "Most people can't see me."

You stopped walking, turning to face Jack. "Why?"

"Simply because they don't believe in me."

"So, why can't they see you?" you repeated, completely befuddled.

Jack rolled his eyes, smiling. "Did you ever watch the _Polar Express_ before?"

"Yeah," you nodded.

"Do you remember the kid and the sleigh bells? The fact that he couldn't hear the sleigh bells ringing?"

"Because he didn't believe," you said slowly, trying to figure out Jack's point.

"Yeah, it's like that for us immortals. If people don't truly believe, they won't see us. They actually walk right through us most of the time."

Your eyes lit in realization, finally understanding it. Then you felt bad for Jack, since he couldn't experience the human interaction of people his age without the non-believers' giving weird looks to the believers. "That must feel weird, doesn't it?" you murmur, looking into his eyes.

He nodded solemnly. "It's not everyday someone walks through you as if you're not there. Well, for me it is, and to them, I'm actually not there."

"Wow," you say, looking back down at your feet.

"Well, enough of that!" Jack said, breaking the silence that had followed. "We're wasting daylight!"

You brightened up again at the fact of actually being in Paris. "Yeah! Let's get going!" With that, Jack led you out of the park and into the big City of Lights.

"Woah," you whisper, trying to take in everything at once.

Jack laughed. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

You nod, watching people walking in and out of fashion boutiques and riding their bikes down to the Eiffel Tower. "Yeah, let's get started."

* * *

Night had fallen in Paris, France as you and Jack walked in silence down a path in a quiet park, Jack making little circles on your hand with his thumb. You had gone through almost all of the tourist attractions available, making sure to sneak Jack in without getting strange looks from the passersby.

For you, it was the absolute best day of your entire life.

Jack stopped walking, and you nearly slipped from the sudden stop.

He caught you and picked you up, causing you to yelp in surprise.

"What the, Jack—" you weren't able to finish your sentence as he lifted up into the night sky.

"The day's not quite over yet, (F/N)," he murmured, keeping a firm grip on you so you wouldn't fall.

"So, where are you taking me?" you ask, not daring to look down this time.

"The top of the Eiffel Tower," he responded, smiling at you.

Your eyes widened, and you hid your face in his jacket again.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

You relaxed a little, and then your feet were on solid ground, but you didn't dare let go of Jack. You looked up at the view below you, instantly hiding in his hoodie.

"We're super high," you whisper, grabbing onto Jack tighter.

"Yeah, but don't worry, you're going to be fine," he comforted, pushing you away and holding you again in a proper hug. "Just don't look down, look around."

You obeyed, and your jaw dropped at the view. "Holy, it's beautiful up here."

Jack grinned, running a hand through your hair. "Told you that you were going to be fine."

You smiled, dropping one arm to put it in your coat pocket. You felt something in it, and you pulled it out, confused.

It was the blue flower from Bunnymund's room. You had completely forgotten you had it. "Hmm, surprised it didn't get smooshed," you muttered, turning the flower delicately in your hand.

"What's that?" Jack asked, watching you curiously.

"A flower from the North Pole," you repeated to him quietly. "I'm curious as to why it didn't get bent or anything, being stuffed into my pocket and all."

Jack laughed, gently taking the flower from your hand. "It's magical, that's why," he explained, twirling it back and forth in his fingers. "It's from Bunny's room, isn't it? I could tell." He took his other arm off your shoulder to touch the petals with his fingers. Frost covered the petals, encasing it in an icy shell.

Your mouth hung open in shock as you watched Jack. The flower looked even more beautiful in frost than it did without it. Jack smiled at his handiwork, then looked back up at you.

"Here you go," he murmured, placing the frosted flower gently in your hair. "It looks beautiful on you."

Your blush was hidden in the dark night as Jack continued to smile sweetly at you.

"Then again, you always look beautiful."

You blushed harder, thankful that you were way up in the sky and that the Eiffel Tower wasn't lit up tonight.

Jack lifted your chin up with his cold finger, staring into your (e/c) eyes with his ice-blue ones. He moved in closer and you closed your eyes, lacing your arms around Jack's neck. Cold lips met yours, and your heart immediately began racing at a hundred miles per hour. You kissed him back, cold chills shooting down your spine. His arms wrapped around you and he pulled away, but your noses still touched, smiling at each other in the moonlight.

The kiss had only lasted a few seconds, but to the both of you, it felt like an eternity.

* * *

**Author's Note: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I hyperventilated writing that last paragraph. I love writing those kind of scenes... :D Anyways, I didn't get a chance to really proofread this chapter because I wanted to post it now and I've got to be somewhere so if there's grammar mistakes, well, oppsies. I make oppsies when I type fast and I type fast when I'm excited so, yeah. XD So... how do you think of your first kiss with Jack, huh? :P Okay, gotta run, bye-bye!**


	10. Don't You Wanna Stay

**Author's Note: Quick note, ran out of time but I feel bad for not updating yesterday, I couldn't really get this chapter done because I had two Empower3000's to do and an AP World History test in 16 days which is kind of freaking me out so my updates may be a tad bit slower, at least until the 16th. Yeah, sorry this chapter is kind of short and I feel like it's not as detailed but, hey, I like the song-by the way, don't own Jason Aldean's song "Don't You Wanna Stay" featuring Kelly Clarkson-and I feel it needs to be in here, so yeah, hopefully I'll have the next chapter up sooner. Anyways, gotta run, so, enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

10-Don't You Wanna Stay

You stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower, your head lying against Jack's chest.

As of now, your brain was completely dead, not a thought in your head.

Except for one: _Jack likes you_.

And honestly, you did too.

The happy silence was broken when Jack spoke up quietly. "You ready to go?"

You nodded, smiling as Jack's voice vibrated through your ears.

You slowly began to rise in the air, and you dared to peek below you. You took a deep breath as you tried not to freak. You may have only been a few inches off the top of the Eiffel Tower, but it was about a thousand feet give or take to the actual _ground_.

Jack laughed, descending again so your feet touched the metal floor. "How many times have I told you not to look down?" he reiterated, letting go of you to swing you on his back.

"A few times, I think," you mutter, nearly choking Jack with your death grip on him. Jack rose again, and you buried your face in his hoodie, letting the cool skin beneath it soothe you.

The wind picked up once more as Jack began to make the flight back home. You smiled slightly, lightening your grip on Jack and closing your eyes.

You were getting used to the random flights, so much so that the combination of the wind whipping your hair, the lightness of the air around you, and the comfort of Jack beneath you made you sleepy.

The night sky of Paris also helped create the sleepy mood.

No sooner had the Eiffel Tower disappear, so did your consciousness.

* * *

When you woke up again, you were lying in your bed to blinding sunlight.

You sat up suddenly, feeling your hair to see if that frosted flower was still there.

It was, and you instantly calmed down.

You almost thought that the whole trip to Paris was a dream invoked by your anger of being grounded.

Laughter hit your ears as soon as you made that realization.

"Looks like somebody decided to wake up," the familiar bittersweet voice rang in your head, causing a smile to form on your lips. Jack sat down beside you on the bed, planting a light kiss on your cheek. "Flights make you sleepy, don't they?"

You smiled, looking down at your hands in embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess they do," you murmur.

"Well, anyways, while you were taking a nap—we got back here about one o'clock and it's now approximately one thirty in the afternoon. Oh, and your mother came up to check on you."

Your eyes widened and you grabbed Jack's arm roughly. "She didn't see you, did she?"

Jack laughed, making you frown. "No, she didn't see me. She did walk through me though, gave her the chills." He smirked as he watched the emotions play across your face.

"What happened?" you ask, curious on what your mother had to say.

"Um, let me think," Jack replied, leaning against you. Then, in a voice that didn't sound like your mother at all—"_Oh my Lord! Is she still sleeping? My gosh, what did she do last night?!_"

You laughed at Jack, who stood up to act the rest out. "_Brr… it's cold in here. Oh, that's why, she has the freakin' window open in the middle of winter!_" Jack walked over to the window and made like to slam the window shut, even though it already was. Then he walked back over to you, sitting down on the bed. "_Hmm… I wonder who this guy that is keeping her out late at night is._" He stood up again and walked to your bedroom door. He opened it and then shut it quickly again, leaning his back against the door, eyes wide. "She's coming," he whispered. The door opened right through Jack, causing you to flinch at the sight.

"Hmm, that was weird," your mother said, looking back at the door. "Swear I could've seen it open."

You smiled sweetly at your mother, wrapping the covers up around your legs. "Hi, Mommy," you greeted in a child's voice.

"Look who's awake at two o' clock in the afternoon," she responded, sitting down beside you on the bed.

You grinned sheepishly, trying to hide that you've been dressed and went to _Paris_ and back all the while she thought you were sleeping. "Yeah, I know…" You looked up at Jack, who was breathing heavily and checking to make sure he was solidly there.

"So," you mom said expectantly, trying to make you feel comfortable. "Tell me, who's this guy _friend_ of yours?"

You saw Jack blush a deep blue, stuck listening to your mother's "private" conversation with you because if he tried to leave, your mom would notice. "Mom…," you stretched, trying to act annoyed. "I told you, he's just a friend."

"Who's _he_?" she repeated, wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

_Uh-oh…_ you thought, never giving a name to your fake guy. "Uh…"

"Come on, (F/N), you can tell me these things."

"I _can_, but it doesn't mean I _want_ to," you folded your arms across your chest, looking at Jack for help.

He shrugged and you made a face at him, for he wasn't much help to you.

"Um, are you okay, honey? You're making faces at the wall," your mom asked slowly, concern written across her face.

You quickly covered it up with a smile. "I'm fine, Mom, I really am."

"Alright, honey, just making sure; because if you aren't feeling good I'd have to keep you home from school tomorrow—"

"Aw, but Mom! It's the last week before break! We're supposed to make candy and ice cream in Chemistry class…" you whined, interrupting your mother.

"Aright, alright (F/N)! I didn't say it was official! I'm going to leave now so keep yourself out of trouble, okay?" your mom replied quickly, standing up and heading for the door.

"Mommy?" you asked quietly, preparing to do the puppy-dog face. "Am I—?"

"No," your mom finished for you, and you frowned at her, lying back down in the bed.

You watched as your mother opened the door through Jack again, and you shuddered. That wasn't a pretty sight watching someone open a door and walk right _through_ a solid human being. It was like your mother, the door, and Jack all molded into one weird mutated animal.

And from the looks of it, Jack didn't really like it either.

The door shut and Jack walked back to your bed, lying down beside you.

"Idiot, why didn't you move away from the door?" you said to him as he began to play with your hair.

"Well, wouldn't you be shocked if you had a door swing through you?" Jack asked, stuffing his other hand in his pocket. "Honestly, that's never happened to me before. I thought the door was just going to bump into me like it would to a normal human being."

"Yeah, I guess I would," you say softly, making shapes in the covers with your fingers. Jack wrapped his cold arms around you—only it kind of felt warm—and you just stayed like that, staring at the ceiling in that happy silence again.

You almost fell asleep again when you felt Jack move.

"Where you going?" you mutter, reaching sleepily for him.

Jack giggled quietly. "You keep trying to fall asleep, and you're stuck in this room so I was gonna leave."

You sat up again, grabbing both of Jack's hands gently. "Don't you wanna stay?"

"Yeah, but I still have some things to do."

_Oh, right, he is still the winter spirit, after all,_ you thought embarrassedly. The train of thought was interrupted when his lips met yours again in a quick, simple kiss.

"But don't worry, I won't disappear on you," he murmured, smiling as he pulled away.

You smiled, and a song randomly popped in your head. You knew you couldn't sing very well, but you gave it a shot anyways.

"_I really hate to let this moment go,_" you sang, looking in Jack's eyes. "_Touching your skin, and your hair falling slow._" His eyes lit up in recognition, and he began to sing along with you. "_When a goodbye kiss, feels like this._"

You smiled at Jack. He was like you in a way, he couldn't really sing either; but it was sweet the way he did sing.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_

_Don't you wanna hold each other tight? _

_Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?_

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while? _

_We can make forever feel this way. _

_Don't you wanna stay?_

Jack smiled, sitting down and embracing you tightly. "Alright, I'll stay for awhile."


	11. Backwards

**Author's Note: Sorry for the slightly late update! I am getting tied up with studying for the AP exam and I've been getting home late almost everyday and the weather's warming up so my parents are pushing me outside and stuff but, anyways, yeah. I'll still update as fast as I can! Because I feel that the excitement is picking up and the plot line is about the kick into full gear. I can feel it!-in my belly. XD lol I love that line, I say it all the time and people give me strange looks. I also had a Jack moment when my friend said he wasn't a mammal and I was like- "If you're not a mammal, then what are _you_?" Hehe, lol Anyways, back to the story! This is about getting ready for school and I think that y'all are about to like die of fangirliness. 'Cause I almost did writing it. XD My fav line is the very last line in this chapter. Silly Jack... Anyways, I'm holding you up, so, bye-bye and enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

11-Backwards

After the whole singing thing, you realized that you made Jack stay and you really couldn't do anything. So, you decided to teach him how to draw. The process would've been a whole lot easier if he didn't keeping freezing everything when he messed up. Still, you had a lot of fun and the time seemed to fly by because it was now late evening and you needed to go to bed early for school the next day.

Jack gave you one last kiss before taking his staff and flying out the reopened window.

So you slowly pulled on your comfiest pajamas and hopped into your bed, pulling the covers up to your chin. Soon, you were drifting into the best sleep you had ever had.

* * *

The alarm went off and you reached out beside you to turn it off. You did, and you realized that your waist was pretty cold for being under the covers all night. You peeked under the comforter and had to suppress a scream. You put the comforter back on and tried to regain your breath. You peeked under again and realized that the arms there weren't growing out from your body or somebody's decapitated limbs lying there to freak you out.

Careful not to move too much, you looked over your shoulder and saw the familiar white hair resting along your back. You calmed down and decided to just lie in bed a little while longer, not wanting to disturb the boy sleeping peacefully beside you.

You figured he must've come back during the night, taking the song you sang to each other a little seriously, you guess. But you were surprisingly fine with it—four days and he's already gotten overly attached to you. You actually couldn't believe it's been four days since you've met the little trickster—even though you've honestly never experienced one of his tricks just yet—since it feels like it's been four months. You seriously couldn't fit a few snowball wars, whiteness world teleportation, a trip to the North Pole and to Paris, and a few romantic kisses (which you also surprisingly love already) in just four measly days.

Jack shifted beside you, murmuring something in his sleep. You smiled and reached down to place your hands over his, causing those bracelets to glow again. The warmth startled Jack and he woke up, removing an arm to rub his eyes.

"Morning, Frost," you say quietly, smirking. Jack jumped, removing his other arm away from you and sitting up.

"What the…" he mumbled sleepily, staring at his arms curiously. "You awake?"

You giggled, sitting up too. "Yeah, school this morning," you reply, tapping your alarm clock lightly.

Jack rubbed his eyes again and squinted to read the clock. "At five thirty in the morning? Why so early?"

You stood up, walking to the dresser. "I take the early bus, got an early morning class."

"For what?" he asked again, standing up and walking over to you, hugging you from behind. He rested his head on your shoulder as he watched you pick out an outfit to wear to school.

"The morning announcements. I run the teleprompter and write the script for the announcers to read out to the school."

"Well, that's fancy," he murmured. "As far as I can remember, we didn't have that stuff in school when I was a mortal."

You laughed. "TV's didn't exist back then, that's why." He let you go as you laid out your clothes on the bed. "Come with me, let's get something to eat," you whispered to him, motioning for him to follow you. He stopped staring at your clothes to follow you down the stairs to the kitchen.

"I've never been anywhere in your house except for your room," Jack mentions as he stares in awe at your simple home.

You giggle quietly. "Well, I hope you haven't seen anything but my room; that would be a major piece of stalking evidence right there."

You took notice to Jack's blue blush in the dark as you pulled out a cereal box from the pantry.

"I like your house," he murmured, flying up and examining the light fixture on your kitchen ceiling. He poked it as if he's never seen one before, and you flinched; glad that the lights were off for he would've burned himself.

Now you blushed, taking a bowl down out of the cupboard. "Oh, it's nothing really, very simple compared to yours."

Jack looked at you from his spot by your light. "I don't have a house."

You laugh in embarrassment. "You know what I mean."

He smirked, landing beside you with ease.

"Well, um, yeah, you could raid the fridge if you want, my mom shouldn't notice," you added, taking out the milk as you do so.

"Eh, maybe I'll raid the freezer," he shrugged, causing you to laugh.

"Yeah, that too."

He laughed, opening the freezer door to find something for himself. You poured your cereal and milk and sat down at the table to eat it. Jack shut the freezer and pulled a chair over to sit next to you, already munching on a frozen waffle. You smiled at each other, eating in silence. When you finished, you stood up and rinsed your bowl in the sink, leaving it in there and putting the cereal and milk back. Then you grabbed Jack's arm and dragged him upstairs with you.

"What—" he began to whisper, but you cut him off by putting a finger against his cool lips.

"Help me get ready," you whisper seductively, your blush hidden in the dark.

Jack froze, not sure what to do. You laughed, tossing your sweatshirt from your bed to Jack. "Oh, o—kay," he whispered back, trying to decide whether he wanted to do this or not, being only four days and all. In your head, you were grateful that you accidentally slept with a bra on last night; you didn't know that whatever _this_ was would take over your logical thinking.

You turned your back to Jack and slowly pulled off your pajama shirt. Goosebumps raised on your arms as Jack's cool breathe rubbed off your bare skin. You didn't realize he was that close to you. You waited a while until Jack figured out how to put on your shirt and he did, the soft fabric covering your eyes. You helped him pull down the shirt the rest of the way and you opened your eyes to see Jack's ice-blue ones shining at you.

You smirked, trying to playfully push him away but he already had a hold on you. "You didn't peek, did you?"

Jack blushed but shook his head. "It's too dark." Then he kissed you roughly, pushing you up against your bedroom wall, taking you by surprise. Then you kissed him back, inhaling the wintergreen scent rolling off his body. Your arms laced around his neck, pulling him closer 'till there was no space left between you two. His arms rose up to your upper back, and you realized how strong Jack actually was. He bit your bottom lip gently, making you gasp. His tongue slid into your open mouth, and your brain went dead with the overload. You let Jack explore your mouth as you passionately kissed him, his teeth pressing up against your lips. Your hands played around with Jack's hair, so unbelievably soft in your hands.

The sound of a light turning on downstairs made the both of you break apart quickly. You were both breathing heavily, still holding onto each other's hands.

Jack smiled at you, playing with the glowing gems on your bracelet. "I think you're going to have to get to school," he murmured, his hair slightly a mess in the back.

You smiled back, still brain-dead from what had just happened. You were almost positive that your mother downstairs could hear your heart beating.

Jack let go of one of your hands to turn on your bedroom light. He looked back at you in the light and began to desperately try not to laugh.

You frowned, staring at Jack. "What?"

Jack attempted to calm down enough to say his sentence straight. "Your shirt's on backwards."


	12. Dawn of Realization

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update guys! AP exam in eight days! Kind of freaking out! :O And my computer got infected with a virus so even though I had ways of writing the chapter, I had no means of updating it, since I have the document saved on a flash drive... :/ Anyways! Never fear! I will still keep updating as often as I can! :D There is some tiny time lapses in here (not like year time lapses, just like a few minutes/hours) and some of Jack's POV in here too, so you're going to find out something pretty exciting in the next chapter! :D Oh, and I'm going to incorporate some of your friends in here so you're not some lonely, depressed girl without any friends, so when you see (BF F/N), it means that you insert your best friend's name there. I kind of wrote it as a 'she' but don't worry, if your best friend is a guy, your best guy friend will be incorporated later, along with a supposedly ex maybe? Hmm? And some others, it's going to help dramatize the climax when we reach it. :P Okay, anyways, I have a new cover image up for the story, drew it myself actually, not sure if it looks creepy or not... So, I'm holding you up with my rambles and I think I've said everything I wanted to say, so, enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

12-Dawn of Realization

You blushed madly, pulling your shirt away enough to notice that the tag was indeed in the front and not the back.

"You're the one who dressed me!" you defended, crossing your arms.

Jack was still trying to hold back his laughter. "Yeah, you kind of made me."

The smirk you were trying to hide came out on your face, and you burst out laughing. "Yeah, I guess I did. Don't look; I'm going to fix it."

Jack laughed and pulled his hoodie over his face, exposing his pale skin underneath. "Alright, I can't see," he mumbled through his hoodie.

You giggled quietly at Jack, nearly out of breath when his lifted his jacket up. You totally did not expect that, and you forgot to switch your shirt around as you stared unconsciously at Jack's torso. He was skinny and didn't really show much muscle—if any. Yet you had the sneaking suspicion that there was real power hidden behind his pale flesh.

You mentally smacked yourself in the face and shook your head to clear any more lustful thoughts of Jack out. He didn't even ask you out—yet—so you shouldn't be thinking like that—should you? He wasn't even showing that much skin, in fact; but it was enough to distract you. You quickly slipped your arms out of your sleeves and switched your shirt around, straightening it out and decreasing any wrinkles out of it.

Then you smirked evilly, pulling on the strings of Jack's hoodie, tightening the hood around his head. "I'm decent," you laughed, backing away as Jack swung his arms for balance.

"Hey! What was that for?" he shouted, blindly reaching for you. He found your arm and grabbed it, pulling him closer to you. "Found ya," he whispered; a smirk evident in his voice.

"Oh, no! I've been found!" you say dramatically, placing your free hand on your forehead and leaning into Jack's body.

"Yes, and you are now _mine_," he added with an evil laugh at the end.

"(F/N), what are you doing?" your mother asked, scaring you to your wit's end. "And how are you _not_ falling?" she added because she couldn't see the winter spirit that was holding you up.

You coughed lightly, blushing hard as you stood up straight and away from Jack. You tried not to laugh as you watched him fix his hoodie so he could see. "Um, just—getting ready for school, Mom," you said as innocently as you could.

Your mom gave you a strange look but let the subject go. "Yeah, well, you got to pick up the speed or you're going to be late. Oh, and please, don't wear that shirt to school—you've got stains everywhere on it."

_Stains?_ You thought, grabbing the bottom of your shirt and looking at it. _Oh, I guess there are stains…_ Your mother left, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Here, wear this," Jack said, handing you his blue hoodie.

You looked at him, not knowing exactly what to say. "But, what about—what about…?"

Jack smiled, letting his hoodie drop into your arms. "I'll be fine, not as much trapped heat without it actually."

The minute he mentioned 'heat' you blushed, because you just realized he was standing freakin' _shirtless_ in front of you. "Th-thanks, Jack," you stutter out, staring at the ground.

He giggled quietly at your reaction. "Alright, you go get changed, I'll be outside adding some snow to the ground, some of it's melting away."

You nodded, continuing to stare at the blue frosted jacket in your arms.

* * *

Jack smiled at you, flying back out the open window. One thought kept running through his head as he leaned against the siding of your house, bumping his staff against it every once in a while to freeze things up: _Man, she's beautiful_.

He really wanted to ask you out—he really did.

But he has to wait 'till the right moment, maybe flying you to Ireland or something this time. He wanted to bring you to Niagara Falls; but there are way too many people there and where he wanted to ask you out would freak out all the passersby by thinking you were trying to commit suicide or something.

He sighed, nearly forgetting he didn't have a pocket to stick his hand into anymore.

"If only there was a way to not be invisible around everyone," he murmured, looking up at the moon. "Or to at least have her invisible." He gave a pleading look at the moon, knowing that he wasn't going to respond. It hasn't for 300 years, why should it start now? He floated away from the wall and twirled his staff around, creating a light snowfall.

_Why? Why does it always have to be me?_ he thought, looking back into your bedroom window, smiling as he watched you straighten his hoodie you were now wearing. _As beautiful as a snowflake falling from the heavens above._

* * *

You were staring in awe at the frost designs on the hoodie, wondering if it would melt from your body heat. That was really nice of Jack, it really was.

You wanted to thank him, but you didn't know how. He left you speechless so many times in the past four days that you didn't think you could ever recreate it for him.

Little did you know that you actually do leave him speechless—every day when he sets his eyes upon you.

_I'm not that special_, you thought, watching the snow begin to fall. _I mean, I'm not immortal, I'm not some resurrected spirit, I'm just an average teenage girl who happens to be falling for someone I thought didn't exist about a month ago. But, why, why is all of this happening? I feel like it's meant to happen—and for a reason. I just want to know why…_

You slid off your pajama bottoms and put on your jeans, wondering why you sounded so philosophical all of the sudden. Well, you were always a little curious and were always called the class scientist—Jack even called you Miss Scientist at times—in times like these. But, no book or science experiment could explain any of this, _especially_ those bracelets.

You zipped up your jeans and stared at your bracelet for a second, turning your wrist back and forth.

_Things don't just _appear_ out of thin air…_ you thought, frowning and looking intently at the sky-blue ribbon resting around your wrist. _I wonder…_ You put on your boots and ran a quick brush through your hair, reminding yourself to look at it in the mirror before you left.

"Jack!" you called, running to the window. He turned around in the sky, smiling wide as he flew back to your windowsill.

"Hey, princess, you ready?" he asked, fixing your hair a bit as he landed beside you in your room.

"Yeah," you reply, smiling and grabbing his bracelet hand, a soft blue glow emitting off of both of your bracelets. "But what are you going to do all day? It would be awkward walking around a high school where people and doors go right through you as if you're not there."

Jack laughed lightly, squeezing your hand comfortingly. "Well, to them; I'm not there."

You playfully smacked him with your free hand, smirking a little. "Don't say it like that!"

He laughed, loving the expression on your face. "Don't worry, I'm going to walk you to school and deliver a few good snowstorms to some of the other parts of the world before they begin to miss me."

You smiled, starting to head towards the door. "Alright then, let's get going so I won't be late."

* * *

You and Jack walked in a happy silence to the bus stop hand in hand, occasionally looking up to smile at each other.

No one was at the stop, just like usual.

"Okay, have a good day at school then?" Jack said, turning you around to face him and taking your other hand.

You smiled, shifting your feet in anxiety of being without Jack for eight hours. "Yeah, I guess."

Jack smiled back, beginning to loosen his grip on you to leave. Then something clicked in his head as he remembered something. "Oh, wait," he muttered. He let go of your hands and formed some kind a blue magic in his own hands. He ran his hands along the hoodie, starting from the bottom, the blue magic floating in the space between his hands and the hoodie. You watched him curiously as he continued working his magic up it until all the frost had been re-frosted. He stopped at your shoulders and rested his hands there, smiling at you.

"There, that should keep it from melting," he explained. Then he leaned in and gave you a quick kiss on your lips. He pulled away and smiled, bringing his arms back to his side by sliding them down your arms. "See you later."

You smiled, listening to the bus pulling up from behind you. "See you, Jack."

He waited until you were on the bus to fly away, unnoticed by any other passengers already on the bus.

You watched him fly away, grinning as you lay your head against the cold window. You traced a little snowflake in the fog on the window, liking the handiwork no matter how simple it looked.

A new flame burned in your chest, and you knew it was inevitable.

You are falling in love with Jack Frost—the winter spirit and Guardian of Fun.

* * *

You sat down with your friends at the lunch table, the morning having gone by pretty normal given the events of your weekend.

"Hey, (F/N), how was your weekend?" your best friend (BF F/N) asked, sitting down next to you and opening up her lunch sack.

"It was great, (BF F/N), how was yours?" you responded, pulling your own lunch out of your bag.

"Good, good. My little sister and I played in the snow for a while, first snowfall of the season, you know," she continued excitedly, chewing on a PB & J sandwich.

"Yeah, it's exciting, isn't it? I think we're going to get a white Christmas this year," you replied, smiling as Jack crossed your mind at the image of snow.

You friend nodded, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Speaking of Christmas, what plans do you have for over the break?"

"Eh, not much. The same thing we do every year; put the nativity under the tree, caroling around the neighborhood, and lots and lots of Christmas shopping."

"Yeah, it's pretty much the same for me. But, did you hear?" you friend began to whisper, hiding her face behind her sandwich. "I hear that Lindsay Baker and her family are flying down to Honolulu for Christmas."

You rolled your eyes and groaned. Lindsay Baker was the head cheerleader of your school and her family was filthy rich. They always went somewhere different during every school break. For Thanksgiving, her and her family went to Egypt and toured the Great Pyramid. "Of course she is. Always wanting to rub it in our faces too."

Your friend nodded in agreement. "By the way, I'd bet you she'd be _so_ jealous of your hoodie right about now. The designs on the sleeves look so much like real frost! Where'd you get it?"

You blushed, staring at your arms. "Oh, a friend let me borrow it for the day."

Your friend grinned knowingly, putting down her sandwich she was still eating. "It's a guy, isn't it?"

You blushed harder, afraid that she'd laugh at you or something worse if you told her about Jack Frost.

"Come on (F/N)! I know that look! Now, who is he?" she repeated, smacking you playfully.

"He's—he's just a friend, really."

"Oh, oh, we're making progress. You said he's a he, so that's good. What's his name? Are you two dating? Come on, (F/N), I'm not going to tell anyone."

You looked down at the table nervously, fiddling with your fingers. Your friend glanced down and noticed the bracelet on your wrist, too.

"Oh, he gave you a bracelet, didn't he?"

You shook your head. "No, that was a gift given to us."

"Us? Oh, matching bracelets now, don't we? Something's sparking in the air, I can see it! (F/N), admit it, you're in love!"

You hid a smile trying to creep up onto your face. Your friend seemed to have that effect on you. "Alright, alright, so I have a _teeny_ little crush on him, and we may have shared a few kisses—"

"Kisses?!" your friend shouted, in shock.

You blushed, smacking her arm lightly. "Yeah, so? But nothing's going on, I'm telling you."

Your friend smirked; satisfied with the information she squeezed out of you. "_Sure_, just keep telling yourself that."

You looked back down at the table, playing with the rainbow snowflake on your bracelet. The bracelet began to glow that soft icy blue again, and you looked at it curiously.

"That's odd," you mutter before whiteness engulfed you in entirely.

* * *

Jack was flying over Burgess, Virginia, thinking about how big of a surprise he should give to his first believer—Jamie Bennett.

That's when he noticed his bracelet was glowing, much more noticeable now without his jacket to hide it.

He stopped in mid-flight and stared at it, poking the rainbow snowflake with curiosity.

"That's odd," he muttered as he continued to poke the colorful snowflake.

Suddenly whiteness engulfed him, leaving him more startled than before.

* * *

You fell to the floor with a start, the consequence of teleporting while sitting down.

"Ow," you shout, rubbing the spot you fell on. "Okay, what the hell just happened?"

"Yeah, I'd like to ask that same question."

You jumped in surprise, your heart beating as fast as a race car zooming around a track. You looked up to see Jack standing a few feet away from you, shirtless and staff in hand.

"Jack!" you shouted, standing up and running over to him, giving him a big hug. He hugged you back, his arms strong and supportive against you. "I'm so glad that this didn't only happen to me."

"Yeah, me too," he replied, hearing the smile in his voice. You pulled away, keeping each other's arms around the other.

You smiled at him, forgetting that you were standing with him in the middle of the world of whiteness and not in the school cafeteria where you _should_ be.

"Well, Miss Scientist," Jack spoke, smiling back at you. "What's the answer to our question?"

You frowned, replaying the events over in your head. "I don't know, but let's get the facts straight first." You sat down, pulling on Jack's arm to get him to sit beside you.

"Okay, you start," he said, laying his staff down beside him.

You nodded, clearing your throat before you began. "Well, I was sitting in lunch, playing with the rainbow gem on my bracelet. Then, the bracelet began to glow—even without your touch. That's when I teleported here. So, that's all I got. Not much really, how about you?"

Jack looked down at the white floor, making little circles with his thumb on your hand. "Well, it was pretty much like yours. I was flying over a small town when my bracelet began to glow. Curious, I poked the rainbow gem. After that, the whiteness took over and I landed here."

You scratched your head with your free hand, rolling the facts over and over again in your head. "Weird…" you mutter. You looked back up at Jack, who was still looking at the ground, creating tiny frost designs upon the floor. "So, we have glowing bracelets and the rainbow gem. Now, what does that mean?"

Jack shrugged, staying silent as you thought it over in your head.

Suddenly, the idea hit you like an icicle breaking off of the gutter. "That's it!" you shout excitedly, causing Jack to become nervous.

"What's it?" he responded nervously, shielding himself behind his free hand.

You laughed, happy to have finally figured something out. "The bracelets are actually kind of like homing devices! _To keep the other near…_ Don't you remember that?" Jack nodded, his nervousness fading away. "Anyways, if one of us needs to get to the other, we would just poke the rainbow snowflake gem, which causes both of our bracelets to glow. When the other notices their bracelet glowing, they would poke that same gem, thus activating the teleportation to this white world when we can't do the hand holding thingy!" Jack nodded again, more excitedly this time as it began to make sense in his head.

"Yeah, we figured that out," Jack added, standing up with you. "But, what about the other two gems? What is their purpose?"

You turned serious again as you thought it through. "Hmm, I have a hypothesis. Stand over there," you pointed to a random spot away from you for Jack to go to.

"Okay," he said, unsure of what your idea was.

_Now, if I were to press the transparent snowflake gem, it should bring me over to Jack,_ you thought, sticking your tongue out slightly as you poked the snowflake gem. A flash burst before your eyes, and when you looked up, a startled Jack was looking at you.

You grinned widely, probably not helping Jack's creeped out situation.

"Freaky…" he said at last, sounding like a schoolgirl complaining about some guy messing with her.

"Just as I thought," you muttered, smirking at Jack. "Okay, I'm going to walk back over there, and now you press the transparent snowflake on your bracelet. Then we'll see what happens."

Jack nodded, still a little freaked about the sudden appearance of you by his side. You walked back to your spot and gave a thumbs-up to Jack to start. He did, and just like you thought; you appeared next to him again.

He still seemed startled, but not as bad as the first time.

You smiled, enjoying the science behind all of this. "Cool…"

"Yeah, okay, you say that," he responded sarcastically, earning him a playful smack on the arm. "Ow, that actually hurts without my hoodie on!" he complained, rubbing his arm.

You laughed at the boy, not caring that you were missing lunch for this. "Oh, don't be such a crybaby."

He frowned at you—or at least tried to; for he eventually succumbed to quiet laughter. "So, the snowflake brought you to me. So I assume the rainbow paintbrush brings me to you?"

You nodded, grabbing Jack's hand again. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Let's try it."

You walked back to your spot and gave the signal for Jack to press the paintbrush gem this time. He did, and in a flash—he was beside you. Even though you kind of expected it, you were startled at his sudden apparition.

"Alright, I guess it does. Your turn," Jack said, walking back to his spot. You obeyed, pressing the paintbrush gem on your bracelet. Jack popped up next to you again, and you both started to randomly laugh.

"Well, it looks like we got ourselves not only new jewelry but teleportation devices!" you managed to say between laughs.

"Yeah, I guess we do. Kind of comes in handy, when you think about it."

"Yeah, when you think about it."

Silence fell between the two of you at the recent accomplishment you both just made in unraveling the mystery given to you.

"Well," Jack said, breaking the silence. "You better get back to school."

You nodded, disappointed at having to return there. "Yeah, and you better get to doing whatever you were doing."

He laughed at your comment. "Let's go out the new way—the rainbow gem way. Seeing that since the other two just transported us to each other and not outside this world."

"Yeah, good idea. I bet you that the center gem is to teleport us here so we could teleport out together in the hand holding thing."

"Probably to bring the both of us to a safe place if one of us—or both of us—is in danger."

You nodded, thinking that over. You have never really gotten into fatal danger before, so did this mean you would?

"Well, guess this is a second 'see you later' in a day," Jack added, already walking to the spot where he teleported in.

"Yeah, it looks like it, doesn't it?" you giggled, waving to him. "See you, Jack!"

"Bye, (F/N)!" Jack shouted back as you poked the rainbow gem on your bracelet. It began to glow, and so did Jack's. You watched him poke his gem, and the whiteness engulfed you once more.

* * *

You blinked, sitting back down in your seat at the lunch table, almost like you never left.

Except for your friend giving you the weirdest look ever.

"What… just _happened_?" she exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock.

You laughed, causing your friend to freak out more. "I should really become a detective when I grow up."


	13. Nothing but You and I

**Starting Over**

13-Nothing but You and I

_Day 3_

_December 12__th_

_I feel like today's the day. I'm gonna do it, gonna do it today. I probably should've written in this in the morning today but I kind of left it in my pocket and I sort of lent her my hoodie so… I hope she didn't come across it during school. Based off her expression getting of the bus, she didn't. So, lucky for me, I guess! Anyways, she finally found out what these bracelet thingies do so, at least we got that out of the way. It was awesome! And freaky at the same time… They're kind of like homing devices of the sorts, one gem brings me to her, the other brings her to me, and the big one in the middle we both have to press to get it to activate and it teleports us to the world of whiteness. The world of whiteness must be a safe haven of its kind, I assume. I just hope we won't have a legitimate reason to use it. So, that's what happened so far today, just hanging out in the world of whiteness unraveling mysteries and such… Oh, and I may have _accidentally _fell asleep beside her last night, but based on her reaction; she was fine with it. Which is a good sign, I guess. I also got a tour of her house which I like a lot. There're lots of delicious goodies inside her freezer! Also, her shirt kind of ended up on her backwards due to my wonderful dressing skills… Yeah, she kind of made me, but I was pretty much fine with it, but do not worry! I'm a nice guy and did not peek like some of the teenage boys did back in the 1950's… They still do now, actually… I don't mean to snoop or anything, but they don't see me and do it as I'm doing my roundabouts and it's kind of embarrassing… Anyways, that has nothing to do with (F/N)'s life so I'm gonna stop now._

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost_

You stepped of the bus to be greeted by Jack's smiling face. You smiled and waved to him, trying to be discreet because of your friends nearby.

"Hey," you whisper, walking up to him.

"Hello, princess, how was the rest of your day?" Jack greeted back, smirking and taking your hand.

You smiled at him, keeping a wary eye on your friends ahead of you. "It was good, actually. Had some explaining to do to (BF F/N) because during lunch I just 'poofed' and came back. She doesn't know about you though."

"That's good; it'd be a little creepy and awkward on your behalf if someone found out you were dating a winter spirit."

You looked at him oddly. _Did he just say…?_ "What?" you said aloud.

Jack slapped his empty hand over his mouth, a deep blue blush creeping up to his cheeks. "Nothing," he mumbled into his hand.

You just hid the smile appearing on your face and dropped the subject. "Also, I've been thinking more about that world of whiteness," you said, starting a new conversation.

Jack dropped his hand from his mouth, tints of blueness still evident in his cheeks. "What about it?"

"Well, I realized that it's a world that is all white, right? Also, I happen to be one of the better artists in my art class. Putting the two together: the world of whiteness is just a huge drawing canvas!" You accidentally shouted the last part, your best friend turning around to look at you.

"Did you want me to wait for you (F/N)?" she asked, stopping and giving you a weird look.

You blushed, looking down at the sidewalk beneath your feet. "No, it's okay (BF F/N)."

Jack stifled some giggles, earning him a glare from you. You pushed him after your friend turned around, running to catch up with the others.

"You're the reason that happened," you muttered angrily, even though you knew you couldn't stay angry at Jack for long.

"Do you want me to fly you home?" he offered, still trying not to giggle.

"Wouldn't it look odd to them?" you asked, motioning to your friends leaving you behind.

"Not if we fly high enough." With that he wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you up, and you did your best not to scream in surprise, lest you worry your friends. You covered your eyes with your hands, not used to flying without having Jack underneath you. Tops of trees brushed against your feet, and you cursed silently in your head.

"Sorry about that," Jack mumbled in the wind, your house coming into view. He descended slowly and your feet hit the roof below.

"Uh, why did we land on the roof?" you ask, giving him a puzzled look.

He laughed, confusing you more. "I have an idea. Here, let me have your school stuff. I'll put it away for you."

"Okay," you said slowly, unsure about Jack's random ideas. You handed him your stuff, relieved of having the heavy thing off your back.

"Oh, jeez, what do you have in here? Bricks?" he complained, even though he was slinging it over his shoulder as if it was nothing.

You giggled. "Of the sorts, yeah." He smirked at you before flying back off your roof. You looked around you, loving the view. "Wow," you murmured. "I wish I didn't leave my sketchbook in my backpack. It's beautiful up here." You always thought your roof wasn't that high up, compared to the Eiffel Tower, that is. But you could see the tops of some of the pine trees, the snow pulling some of the branches down. The dim sunlight shining down upon the snow caused it to sparkle, but not so much that you couldn't look at it without going blind. You could see your friends walking back to their homes, not really noticing that you kind of flew up and over them.

"Well, I see where I stand," you muttered to yourself out loud, crossing your arms and frowning at your friends.

"What'cha frowning at?" Jack asked, startling you as he landed beside you.

"Oh, nothing," you replied, uncrossing your arms and looking at Jack. "The snow is so pretty," you whisper in awe, looking back down at the ground.

Jack smirked; saying proudly, "I know, made it myself."

You smiled, shoving him lightly. He pushed you back, causing you to laugh.

"Hey, you're so lucky all that snow is on the ground and not up here," you warned, continuing to laugh.

"Yeah, where did all the snow go on your roof? It's supposed to be here."

"Insulation problems," you state simply, sticking a hand in your—well, actually Jack's—pocket. You felt something like a book inside it, but ignored it for the time-being. "Heat rises and escapes through the roof because of the thin insulation barrier, almost like we're heating the outdoors more than anything else."

"Uh oh, here comes Miss Scientist once again!" Jack said dramatically, putting his hands up in mock exasperation.

You rolled your eyes, laughing at him. You saw your friends that weren't already home walking closer to your house to either pass it or visit it. "Uh, Jack. People are coming and I'm standing on my roof."

Jack looked down and saw them coming, widening his eyes. "Oh, right, yeah. Let's get going."

"Going where?"

"You're the scientist, figure it out." He grabbed your hand and lifted it up, fixing it so your palm touched his and so that the fingers would be aligned with each other. Your bracelets glowed and then you knew where you were going.

A flash, then whiteness covered the both of you.

* * *

Your best friend stopped in her walking when she thought she saw you on your roof.

"(F/N)?" she muttered, squinting her eyes at the figure.

Then, in a flash, the figure was gone.

She blinked a few times, shaking her head vigorously. "I've got to be seeing things today."

* * *

Once again you found yourself standing in the middle of the world of whiteness, hand resting against Jack's.

"You said that this is all just a huge drawing canvas, right?" he asked, swinging his staff over his shoulder.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," you replied, ruffling your hair in confusion.

Jack smiled, making small jumps in the spot. "Hold on, then. Stay right there."

Before you could even say 'okay', a huge snowstorm developed around you and you couldn't see a thing—not even Jack. You knew it was him this time though, because he had his staff.

_What is he up to now?_ you thought, getting impatient with not being able to do anything.

In the whiteness, cold lips met yours, startling you out of your thoughts.

"Follow me," he whispered, taking your arms gently and leading you through the snowstorm.

You couldn't see the boy, nor could you really see anything. You just let Jack drag you along to wherever he was leading you too.

"We're here," he whispered again, releasing your arm.

You frowned, still not being able to see anything. "Um, where's here?"

As quick as it came, the snowstorm subsided. Jack was in front of you, standing in front of a huge palace made entirely out of ice.

"The first creation made in the World of Whiteness," he replied, watching your expression at the sight in front of you.

"You—you made this?" you stuttered, unable to keep your mouth shut because it was all just so _beautiful_.

He laughed, picking up what looked to be a guitar made out of ice. "And this too," he said, starting to strum on the guitar.

You were shocked he was able to play, the chords echoing in the not-so-empty-anymore silence. You figured since he said he didn't remember much of his human memories that he didn't remember much of learning anything—then, you realized; how would he know how to talk if all of his memories were erased on that cold wintry night so, so long ago?

Then Jack began to sing, in his own sweet way.

_Sitting here I might make a wish_

_Patience is all I have_

_Each time I think I'd never let you go  
_

_Moving patterns in the air_

_Thoughts that drown like Fred Astaire_

_Wanna hold your body, hold you close  
_

_And I just can't wait_

_To see your face_

_To say your name  
_

_When I hear your voice_

_And touch your skin_

_the world fades away  
_

_Hey, there's nothing but You and I_

_Take the stars, the moon, the night, the air I breathe_

_You're the only thing I need  
_

_And You, came into my life_

_You opened up my eyes, my heart, my jealousy_

_You're the thing that matters most to me  
_

_There's nothing but You and I  
_

_People they will come and go_

_Another night another show_

_Another place to rest my weary head  
_

_Now I know I'm coming home_

_Back to you where I belong_

_Knowing you fall into my arms here once again  
_

_When I hear your voice_

_And touch your skin_

_the world fades away  
_

_Hey, there's nothing but You and I_

_Take the stars, the moon, the night, the air I breathe_

_You're the only thing I need  
_

_And You, came into my life_

_You opened up my eyes, my heart, my jealousy_

_You're the thing that matters most to me  
_

_There's nothing but You and I  
_

_It's only You and I_

_It's only You and I_

_It's only You  
_

_Hey, there's nothing but You and I_

_Take the stars, the moon, the night, the air I breathe_

_You're the only thing I need  
_

_And You, You came into my life_

_Opened up my eyes, my heart, my jealousy_

_You're the thing that matters most to me  
_

_There's nothing but You and I_

_Nothing but You and I_

_There's nothing but You and I  
_

Jack strummed the final chord with a flourish, looking back at your teary face with a smile.

"Jack… Jack, that was—" you began to say until Jack cut you off with a cool kiss. He took both of your hands in his, his ice-blue eyes looking intently into yours.

"(F/N), would you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

**Author's Note: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT'S OFFICIAL! Well, until you say yes, that is. I wanted to add more to this chapter but it sounded more dramatic cutting it off there, so... I'ma gonna pick it up with Jack replaying the moment in his head at night, just to get the plot rolling. Only one or two chapters more until the 'Adventure' part of the Romance/Adventure genre I have it listed in kicks in. :P Oh, by the way, I do not own Keith Harkin's song "Nothing but You and I" and Jack Frost and the other Guardians for that matter... Probably should've mentioned that part earlier but it kind of slipped my mind in all the excitement of this story... Technically, I don't own you either... 'cause that's you. XD lol So, yeah. How'd you think of the way he asked you out? I remember reading somewhere that it's sweet when someone sings for you and even sweeter when they really _can't_ sing, which is what I made Jack do. :3 And I heard somewhere that it sounds better when the guy says "Will you be my girlfriend?" instead of "Will you go out with me?" so I wrote it that way. Oh, and I realized I included a journal insert in the beginning but the journal is kind of still in the pocket of Jack's hoodie so he couldn't really write it yet, but there wasn't an insert in a while and my original planning of this chapter didn't come out like that because Jack kind of took control over writing it again... Jack! I'm the author! Not you! XD lol So, just pretend he wrote it, probably like after you fell asleep or something... So, anyways, I think I've rambled enough now, so... good bye-bye for now! :P**


	14. Transformation

**Author's Note: Sorry for the extremely late update guys! Kind of been studying for my AP World History exam, which was today by the way. I found it extremely easy and I should easily get a 4 or 5 on it, I hope. :P Anyways, my updates should be back up to speed now that I am no longer preoccupied with other studies-except maybe having to enjoy the outdoors, since it's 77 degrees Fahrenheit right now where I live and super sunny, so yeah. :) So, in this chapter, something incredibly _dramatic_ and _exciting_ is going to happen, and it's kind of just a random thing in the plot line. :P What's going to happen in this chapter and the next doesn't really affect the plot line of this story, but it will affect the sequel. That's right. I'm planning on a sequel, a trilogy actually. :D Hopefully I don't accidentally stretch this whole story out like some books I read have... Oh, and if some of my descriptions in my story you find not entirely accurate, it's because I haven't really _read_ the Guardians of Childhood series, but I badly want to! So, if you guys can, like, help me with certain descriptions, I'd be glad to take the help. Thanks. :) So, I think I've said all I've wanted to say-hopefully-so, yeah. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

14-Transformation

Jack sat in your bed beside you, smiling while he watched you sleep. He ran his hands through your hair gently, careful not to wake you up.

He couldn't sleep, and it wasn't because he didn't really need sleep; he was just too excited. You were now his girlfriend, and just thinking about that word pleased him.

Girlfriend… he never would've imagined himself saying that, and he doesn't remember if he ever said that as a mortal either.

Before he never would've believed it if someone came up to him and said he would have a girlfriend someday. He would've just snorted and walked away.

Now, though… Now he would probably just smirk and introduce you to them. Be a show-off and never, ever let anyone harm you in any kind of way.

Thinking back to the past, Jack realized; he would never trade you away for anything—including having _all_ of his human memories. He liked you too much.

He couldn't afford losing you. It would be worse than that feeling he had gotten last April when Pitch snapped his staff in two. As if that was painful already…

It made Jack wish he was mortal once again—or that you were immortal—so that he wouldn't have to live for an eternity in remorse if you were to… you know, die. He shook his head and cleared those thoughts away, going back to replaying the recent events.

He sighed happily, leaning his head against the headboard and cuddling in closer to you. He glanced at the moon and grinned at it before closing his eyes and falling asleep with you safe and sound in his arms.

* * *

Man in Moon smiled as he watched the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Everything was going according to plan.

And the best part of it all was that there really wasn't a time limit, as far as he could tell; nothing bad was going to happen. There wasn't going to be a whole Romeo and Juliet scenario between these two, no.

He's had enough of that, the first time was enough.

No, this time it's going to be perfect. They've met, they've fallen in love, and now for the next step—mortalization.

It's only temporary, for sure; but it is his duty to fulfill their wishes every once in a while—if it doesn't impact with the timeline of the future too much.

As far as he could tell, nothing wrong should happen.

And, being Man in Moon; nothing wrong _could_ happen.

He sighed, standing on a stool to reach into one of the higher cupboards.

"Synchrodestiny splash potion, no, not for this occasion. Hunter's Moon spell book, no, no one's life is getting ruined tonight," he mumbled to himself as he began to throw stuff out of the cupboards and onto the floor. "Immortalization, no, I'm looking for the opposite of that, ah! Here it is—Mortalization for the Reborn Immortals." He turned around and sat on the stool, opening the tiny and very dusty book; leafing through the yellow pages. The words inside the book were written in a long lost language, so only he would be able to read it by this time in the life of the human race.

"Take some moon dust and mix into it the blood of a dragon. Stir thoroughly, stopping every fifteen seconds until the mixture is a bright crimson red. Afterwards, over an eternal flame; drop in a pinch of dream sand and a cup of mystic water. Stir in thirty second intervals until the mixture boils. Remove heat and let the mixture cool in the moonlight. If prepared right, the mixture should now be invisible to the naked eye, a bowl full of miniscule moon dust particles. With a little bit of care and magic, take the mixture out of the bowl and direct the moonlight towards the immortal you wish to mortalize. Slowly let the mixture fall from in-between your fingers, and it should follow down the path of the moonlight and land on the immortal; changing him/her back to the form of their past life," Man in Moon read, using his finger to follow the encrypted letters. He looked up and out the window, staring down at the blue ball that was the Earth.

"Sounds easy enough," he muttered, laughing and standing up. Before he shut the book, however; he took the time to read further for any drawbacks from creating this potion. There was, and he stopped in his tracks to read it. "Warning: When in mortal form, immortals are subject to all laws of mortality; including gravity, hunger, thirst, age, and death." He frowned then shook his head. Of course the kid would be subject to all of that, it's the basic definition of 'mortal'. If he doesn't know that, well; blessed be the heavens he doesn't find out the hard way.

He placed the old book down on the stool, walking through the catacombs of his home to his brewing station. He opened various cupboards, taking out objects ranging from tiny flasks to humungous jars.

"Looks like I'm out of moon dust," he mumbled solemnly, holding up an empty bell jar to the light. He sighed, putting the jar down gently on the countertop, walking around to an outdoor exit. When he found one, he went outside and collected a few lunar months' worth of moon dust, walking back inside and watching it settle inside the bell jar.

"That shall do it," he said proudly, turning around to the brewing table. "Now for some magic."

* * *

Jack wrapped his arms tighter around you, stuck in the middle of a dream and reality.

It was weird, he was still in the dreaming state yet he could feel your presence and the room around him.

While he was trying to figure this situation out; a strange warming sensation swam up his spine, making him grit his teeth. It was too warm for his liking, but he soon realized he was slowly getting _used_ to it.

He frowned and tried to wake up, but was unable to do so.

The sensation sparked again, stronger and more noticeable than the last time. Then it began to feel like his body was changing, but he couldn't open his eyes to look at himself.

_You wish to be seen_

_So you recant_

A familiar voice spoke in his head, and he instantly froze up, despite the fact that he felt like he was _melting_.

_Now with eyes so keen_

_Your wish I grant_

The warm sensation changed into what felt like a huge fireball burning inside Jack's body. He bit his lip to keep from screaming, but as soon as he did; it stopped.

The familiar cold temperature of his body seemed to be nonexistent, yet he didn't feel uncomfortable either.

He almost felt… human again.

Before he had a chance to think the strange situation over, deep sleep took him under once more.

* * *

You woke up to your blaring alarm, slamming it off in your sleep. You expected your waist to be cold again because this time you _knew_ Jack had fallen asleep beside you, but it wasn't.

You thought he had left during the night, saddening you a little.

That is, until you realized that something was still wrapped around your waist.

You checked under the covers and indeed saw arms there, but instead of blue sleeves covering them—he finally got his own shirt back last night—they were white.

You peeked behind you, careful not to disturb whoever was sleeping next to you.

A boy with messy brown hair slept there peacefully, muttering something in his sleep.

You nearly freaked—still careful not to wake the boy sleeping next to you; whoever he was.

"(F/N)…" the boy mumbled sleepily, pulling you in closer.

You tried not to scream, the situation getting creepier by the minute. Then you thought you recognized that voice.

"Jack?" you whispered slowly, turning around to get a better look at the boy who actually _did_ look like Jack—just, different hair and skin color.

And wearing old-looking clothes.

He woke up, not as startled as you were when you saw that his eyes were no longer blue—they were brown.

"Hey, princess," he greeted, smirking at you in the dark.

Okay, it was Jack alright. You would recognize that smirk _anywhere_.

"Um, Jack, you…" you didn't know how to word what you were trying to say. You can't just plain out tell him that he went under some kind of _physical_ change of some sort.

"I what?" he asked, running his hand through your hair. His eyes widened in surprise when he noticed that his sleeves were white instead of blue. He sat up suddenly, staring at his arms.

"I thought I got rid of this shirt when I was given the hoodie," he muttered, frowning at himself.

You sat up beside him, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "You should take a look in the mirror before you wonder about anything else."

He got up and opened your closet door, staring at himself in the mirror hanging on it. You got up also and turned on the light so he could see himself better.

His jaw dropped to the floor and he blinked continuously, trying to make sure what he was seeing was _real_. "What the…" he muttered, turning around to stare at the back of his leather hunter's cape, the frost that should've been there nonexistent.

"Yeah, that's what I said," you replied, crossing your arms and trying to figure the situation out.

"Last time I looked like this, I was—" Jack cut himself off, finally realizing what happened. "Sweet Man in Moon, I'm a mortal."


	15. Caught

**Starting Over**

15-Caught

"You're… a mortal?" you repeated to Jack, completely stupefied. The brown-haired boy turned around a few times before nodding his head in confirmation. "But… how?"

He shrugged, turning to look back at you, running a tan hand through his hair. "I don't know. I really don't know…"

You walked to your bed and slumped down into it. No sooner had he become your boyfriend, he went and somehow _mortalized_ on you.

Peculiar, you tell yourself. It's all very peculiar.

"Do you, do you remember anything strange happening last night? Anything at all? 'Cause you were immortal when I fell asleep so, something must've happened in the middle of the night." you asked, staring up at the ceiling.

He sat down next to you, with you trying to get used to him being, well, _human_. "All I remember was that I was in this really weird dream state and that it felt like I was burning in hell."

_The effects of the rising of overall body temperature…_ you thought, reaching for Jack's hand and holding it. "Anything else?" you said as comfortingly as you can.

Jack grasped your hand tighter, lying down with you. "Well, I remember something… The voice again… Remember that voice we heard when we got these?" he asked, pointing at his bracelet—which was currently glowing with yours. You nodded in agreement, some of this starting to make some sense. "Well, yeah, it was that voice again and it said… it said—Hold on, I'll remember it—it said: _You wish to be seen, so you recant. Now with eyes so keen, your wish I grant._"

"So, what did you do? Wish to be mortal?"

"I didn't mean it if I did."

"Huh…" you sighed, sinking your head into the bed. _If he's mortal, does this mean…?_

"Hey, Jack," you said, breaking the silence that had fallen between you two. "Does this mean you can no longer fly and that people can see you now?"

Jack's eyes widened, clearly never thinking about that. "Oh, shoot; my staff!" He stood up and ran to his staff leaning against the wall by the window, picking it up and examining it. "Huh…" he muttered sadly, his face falling. "It normally glows right away…"

You stood up also and walked over to him. You rubbed his shoulder comfortingly, not knowing what else to do. "Humans don't normally have special freezing powers."

His shoulders drooped, but he tried his best to keep a smile on his face. "I guess winter will have to wait."

"Yeah, and for the meantime; you're going to have to come to school with me."

Jack gave you a repulsed look. "What?! Why?"

You rolled your eyes, trying not to laugh. "You can't really hide a teenage boy in a girl's bedroom for so long without being caught."

"(F/N)?" your mom shouted up the stairs, making the both of you jump. "Who's up there with you? And how come I didn't know someone was staying over?"

You and Jack covered your mouths in embarrassment. You had forgotten that with Jack being mortal, people who didn't believe could _hear_ him now.

"No one Mom! Just the, uh, radio!" you shouted back, trying to cover up the fact that you have a _boy_ over; who also manages to be your boyfriend now and your parents don't even know he exists.

"Radio? Since when did you have a radio in your room?"

_Opps,_ you thought, Jack smacking himself in the face. "You know what I mean!" you replied, praying for your mom to _not_ come up those stairs. She didn't, and you and Jack let out the breath you didn't know you were even holding.

"Radio? Seriously?" Jack whispered, rolling his eyes dramatically.

You felt the heat rise up to your cheeks as you pushed Jack lightly, trying not to giggle for acting purposes. "Shut up! It was the heat of the moment!"

Jack laughed quietly as you pulled you in for a hug. "Speaking of heat," he said with a smirk, and you didn't even have time to breathe before his lips met yours.

It was startling at first, partly because he caught you off guard and mostly because he didn't look like—well, almost didn't look like—the Jack Frost you first kissed on the top of the Eiffel Tower. He wasn't cold anymore either, you realized as he began to kiss you deeper; making you stumble backwards and fall onto the bed, Jack's full weight on top of you. You closed your eyes, kissing Jack back and wrapping your arms around his neck. He bit your lip again and slid his tongue into your open mouth, and you accidentally moaned in pleasure. Your brain had died by then anyways, so you didn't even think about blushing and embarrassment as you felt Jack's smile against your lips.

He pulled away for a second so you could both breathe, but that only lasted a second. He went back to kissing your lips, and your hands shot up to his hair. It may have been brown now, but it was still as soft as it ever was. You played around with his hair, loving how it was short enough to be soft but long enough for individual strands to fall in-between your fingers.

He stopped kissing your lips to trail warm kisses down your neck, a sensation not like one you have ever felt before. And you had to say, you actually liked it. He paused at the spot between your neck and shoulder and bit you gently. You groaned in response. It wasn't like it actually _hurt_, but he still _bit_ you. He smiled against your skin, resorting to sucking on that spot. When he was satisfied, he went back up to kissing your lips.

Someone clearing their throat snapped you back into reality. Jack pulled away and opened his eyes to look back at your wide ones.

"What are you doing to my daughter?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, I feel like I cut this chapter off a little short, but my dad's limiting my computer time and he's being somewhat strict about it now and I wanted to update before the weekend since I can barely write over the weekend so here it is anyways. That's one huge long sentence there... XD Anyways, another romantic moment with Jack in here and I really _badly_ wanted to have someone interrupt you but I didn't want to at the same time because I didn't want it to be too dramatic, but I did it anyways. The only reason why is because if this happened to me, I'd be super-duper embarrassed, especially since my parents know I'm not the type of girl to get caught in something like this. :] And a good story I feel gives the reader strong emotions and I was super-duper embarrassed writing that scene so, I feel like it's pretty strong. :P So, this chapter was supposed to be about spending a day of school with Jack (that was also supposed to be the last chapter too but I keep getting more ideas and it pushes it off but, oh well) but I guess that's going to have to be the next chapter. Hopefully. Once I get that chapter out of the way then I will be able to introduce the adventure part of this story and _then_ it's going to get _really_ exciting. :D Let the Games begin! And may the odds ever be in your favor. XD Sorry, had to do that. XD Anyways, so, Jack's a mortal for a while and you are going to figure out more of the puzzle that is the World of Whiteness. That is what awaits your future. Okay, I think I've rambled enough now, and I better stop before I spoil something. So, yeah, see ya next time! :P Enjoy!**


	16. Getting Ready

**Starting Over**

16-Getting Ready

"What are you doing to my daughter?" your mother scolded, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed and a disappointed frown on her face. Jack quickly rolled off of you and sat up, looking down at the floor sheepishly. You sat up, your face flaming red and hair a mess.

"Morning Mommy," you said as innocently as you could.

"I'm disappointed in you, (F/N). Sneaking a boy into your bedroom, _especially_ one I haven't met before! Do you know what other people would think of you if they walked in on a situation like this?" your mom yelled, moving her hands for emphasis.

You looked down at the floor, subconsciously reaching for Jack's hand as you played with your hair. "Yes…" you mutter, feeling really bad that Jack had to be _visible_ for this.

"Alright, now, who is this young gentleman here?" she asked, waving to the still red-faced Jack. "And why is he dressed in a Halloween costume?"

_It's not a Halloween costume…_ you thought angrily, shifting your feet uncomfortably. You looked at Jack to see if he wanted you to tell your mom his real name. He nodded; a slight smile apparent on his face.

"Mom, this is Jack," you said, a little more confident than you expected. "Jack, this is my mom."

Jack nodded politely, still not fully used to the inclined human interaction now that everybody could see him. "Morning, Mrs. (L/N)."

"Nice to _finally_ meet you, Jack. Now, (F/N), you have to leave for the bus in twenty minutes and by the looks of it, you are _nowhere near_ ready. Get to it, young lady." With that, your mother left the room; leaving your door wide open.

You let out a sigh of relief, lying down in the bed. "That was better than I expected."

Jack laughed. "Something tells me that I better watch what I'm doing now that people can see me."

"Yeah, no more doors opening through you now," you laughed, poking his side playfully.

"Yeah, that's a plus." He laughed harder, falling back into the bed beside you. "Halloween costume! Really? I better find some more modern clothes to wear before _I'm_ the object of laughter, not the creator."

You smacked yourself in the face. _Duh, the boy's going to need some proper clothes,_ you thought, standing up and searching through your closet. "I don't know if I have anything for you Jack, because my dad's clothes are probably too big for you."

"Eh, whatever you'll find I'll be fine with. I mean, I'm not going to be mortal forever, am I?" he asked, sitting up and fixing his hair quickly. "Because, theoretically, I'm supposed to be dead by now."

"Technically, you are," you replied, turning your head back to look at him. "You died saving your sister, remember? It's not just the fact that 300 years have passed since you immortalized."

Jack tilted his head casually, thinking it over. "Yeah, guess that's a reason too."

You continued searching through the racks of your small closet when something new caught your eye. "Hmm, this is new," you said aloud, taking the hanger of the hook. It was a complete outfit for a guy, and it just happened to be in Jack's size.

Not that you knew what size Jack is, that is.

"What's new?" Jack asked, standing up and walking over to you.

"This," you say, holding the hanger up for Jack to see. "I generally don't go shopping for guy's clothes and this was inside my closet, like it was just magicked into it."

Jack leaned against the wall, deep in thought. "I wonder if this is Manny's doing."

_There's that name again,_ you thought, staring at Jack curiously as you straightened out his soon-to-be outfit. "Who's this Manny you keep talking about?"

"The Man in Moon?" he asked you, looking at you like you were crazy for not knowing who this Man in Moon was.

"Yeah," you nodded, lifting the jean leg just to do something.

"He's the one that's behind most things that go on in the universe; such as me meeting you, the bracelets, and even my whole resurrection."

"Oh," you mutter, releasing the jean leg you were holding. "Well, whoever this Man in Moon is, he's sure got good taste. Here, put these on, I'll go get changed in the bathroom." You thrust the clothes at Jack, who scrambled to catch them; unlike his normally graceful manner in, well, practically _everything_. You giggled, grabbing your own set of clothes and leaving to go change in the bathroom.

You shut the door behind you and snuck into the room, closing it quietly as to not arouse anymore attention to yourself. You slipped off your pants and put on a pair of jeans, hoping they were enough to impress not only your friends, but Jack as well.

Not that you needed to impress Jack, that is.

You pulled off your pajama shirt, throwing it carelessly away. You gently rubbed the spot where Jack bit you, trying to get a better look at it in the mirror.

"Oh, I hope that doesn't turn into something," you mutter, frowning at your reflection.

Your hair was a mess, the (h/c) strands standing up in every other direction.

But you did notice that you seemed a lot happier, probably from spending all the past time with the Guardian of Fun himself.

You mentally smacked yourself, scolding yourself for sounding so cheesy. You put on your shirt and brushed your hair, straightening the strands that seemed to be frozen upwards to the best of your ability.

You sighed casually, smiling at yourself before you left the bathroom; throwing your clothes down the laundry shoot along the way.

"Jack? You ready?" you asked through the door, knocking lightly. The door opened before you were even done knocking, and you nearly had a mini heart attack at the sight in front of you.

"Yeah, how do I look?" Jack asked, nonchalantly sticking a hand into the pocket of the black zip-up jacket he was wearing.

You couldn't find the breathe to speak, and you suddenly wished Jack had his special freezing powers right about now. In place of his blue hoodie—which you only slightly wished he still had because it was so awesome—he wore the black zip-up hoodie, zipped up about half-way; showing part of the gray and white striped T-shirt underneath. Loose bootleg jeans of a dark color extended down his legs, only showing the top of his black and white Nike sneakers.

Jack stood before you, silently waiting for a response.

You shook your head to clear your mind, blinking a few times. "Oh, well, yeah. Like I said, this Man in Moon guy has great taste in clothing."

He smirked, knowing just what you were thinking. "Oh, I don't think it's just him with such great taste," he said seductively, reaching out and pulling you in closer. Your noses were about to touch when your mom shouted up the stairs again.

"(F/N)! Jack! You're going to miss the bus if you don't leave soon!"

Jack groaned involuntarily, earning a smack and a few giggles from you.

"Come on, silly, we've got a bus to catch," you say, smiling and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Alright, to school we go," he said, trying his best to sound bored; but failing terribly.

You grabbed his hand and led him down the stairs, past your mother and out the door.

_Time for school,_ you thought, looking up at Jack as he ran beside you. _The cool way._

* * *

**Author's Note: Ah, man. I thought the next chapter was going to be the beginning of the adventure. Darn it, Jack! Stop writing my story for me! XD Opps, sorry, Jack, didn't mean to hurt your feelings, keep writing if you want to, you're doing a good job. :P Well, I squeezed in this update at about 10 o' clock nighttime just for you guys, which is probably why I cut it off short again-in my perspective that is. So, it looks like the next chapter is going to be about that day in school that you and Jack were talking about in the end of this chapter here. And, thanks to my constantly thinking brain, I figured out a way to sort of tie this random mortal thing into the plot line of this story along with the sequel; but I am afraid to even hint at what my plan is because it might spoil the chapter after the next one. Or, since my brain just had one of those moments just this second, maybe the next chapter. XD Lightbulb! :P Okay, I don't think there's much for me to ramble about for right now, so I'm going to leave it off here. Enjoy!**


	17. Mortal for a Day

**Starting Over**

17-Mortal for a Day

_Day 4_

_December 13__th_

_Oh, wow. Life seemed to have taken a very unexpected turn this morning. I am now a mortal. Freaky, right? I know, at first it was all normal—with (F/N) finally being my girlfriend and all—then it felt like I was on FIRE, like, ouch! Then, bam! Wala! You have now been re-mortalized Jack Frost! Oh, and I kind of accidentally got caught making out with (F/N) by her mother… Talk about embarrassing… So, since I am now visible to everybody—and I mean _everybody_—(F/N) thinks that I should come to school with her for the day, and the last time I was in school it was about 300 years ago, give or take. The only thing I'd probably be good at is history class because I freakin' _lived_ through it. Oh sweet Man in Moon, it was awesome watching things like the car and the light bulb get invented! Yet, there are the sad things like the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the French Revolution… Oh, jeez, this is supposed to be a journal about (F/N)'s memories, not mine! I don't think Man in Moon thoroughly thought this through… Anyways, I believe this is all for now—currently trying to figure out how to change clothes again in the boys' locker room…_

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost _

You rolled your eyes at practically everyone walking past you because they just kept _staring_ at you, wondering how _you_ were walking around hand in hand with someone like _Jack_.

"Okay, so _totally_ not used to all these people actually seeing me," Jack whispered in your ear, looking at the passersby warily.

"Welcome to high school Jack! Everybody stares at everybody here!" you say dramatically, almost dropping your bag in the process.

"Um, why?" he asked, repositioning the book-bag you let him borrow on his shoulder.

You snorted, shaking your head. "You know, sometimes even _I_ don't want to know."

He inhaled sharply, looking away to another girl waving and giggling at him. He smirked and winked at her, casually wrapping an arm around your shoulder in the process. You watched as the girl first nearly fainted, then got mad and stormed off.

You couldn't help but laugh, burying your face inside Jack's new jacket, wrapping your arm around his waist.

"That's one of the many reasons why I'm glad you're my boyfriend," you mumbled, looking up from your position against Jack's chest to look into his brown eyes.

"Well, I'm glad there's more than one reason," he replied, smirking and kissing the top of your head lightly. You giggled, letting go of Jack when you made your destination outside the girls' locker room.

Why you had gym so early in the morning, you didn't know.

"Here, take these Jack and go change in the boys' locker room," you instructed, handing him a small duffel bag.

"What's this?" he asked, swinging the bag back and forth.

"Gym clothes. Your Man in Moon dude magicked them inside my school-bag sometime in the morning. Put them on, otherwise you won't be able to participate in gym; and I don't want to take gym class all by myself." Towards the end of your sentence, you made your voice go all high and child-like, giving Jack a simplified version of the puppy-dog look.

"Alright, no need to go to extremes now, (F/N). See you in a few minutes," Jack laughed, kissing you before turning around and searching for the boys' locker room. You laughed, turning around and entering your locker room, being greeted with bright lights and the happy voices of girls you barely talked to. You snuck to the spot in front of the first locker nearest the door and threw your stuff into it. Thus you began to change; jeans to shorts, shoes to sneakers. You pulled off your shirt, turning around to look in the mirror as you did so. You frowned at your reflection, rubbing at the spot where Jack bit you earlier.

"Jack…" you moaned under your breath, staring at the small black and blue bruise that had formed there. "Thank the Lord that it's winter out there." You quickly put on your gym shirt and stuffed your clothes into the locker, closing it and leaving the room with the girls chatting away in it. You turned down the hallway and smiled when you saw Jack wandering around aimlessly, not sure what to do.

"Jack!" you shouted, waving to him. "Over here!" He turned around and smiled, running to you and giving you a big hug.

"Jack," you laughed as he pulled away. "It's only been a few minutes."

"Yeah, but," Jack whispered in your ear. "Those guys in there were giving me weird looks and were starting to creep me out."

You laughed harder as you pulled away. "Just don't look at them, stare at the ground or something."

"Yeah, that and I have a hard time changing because I haven't really had to change for 300 years, except for changing my cape and vest for my hoodie."

You smiled, taking Jack's hand and leading him down the hallway to the gym. "Well, hopefully you'll get used to it."

"Yeah, okay." You ran down the stairs with Jack, sneaking behind your classmates as your gym teacher began to explain what was going to happen today. After that, students began to disperse into two teams. You hung onto Jack so he didn't get lost amongst everyone and have to be on the team against you.

"What are we doing?" Jack whispered in your ear.

"Floor hockey," you responded, pulling out two hockey sticks from the barrel. "Should be right up your alley, the sport being somewhat similar to ice hockey—just less aggressive and no high sticking allowed. And, no ice," you added with a smirk.

"Alright, then, let's test your skills (L/N)," he taunted, his name-sake smirk evident on his child-like face.

"Oh, you're going to go there, eh, Frost?" you retorted, smirking and tapping your stick lightly against the floor.

"Alright, class. Red on one side of the room, blue on the other," your gym teacher announced as you and Jack walked to the side with the kids on the blue team. "On the count of three—one, two, three!" The ball dropped to the floor and the two boys in the middle of the gym fought for it, the hockey game now begun. You stayed near the net, watching the boys playing—most of the girls opting not to play—and waiting for the ball to come your way so you could knock it back the other way.

It did, and you stole the ball away from a super tall kid, causing him to gasp in shock. You smirked at him, trying your best to stick handle it away from the red team.

"(F/N)! Over here!" Jack shouted, and you quickly passed it over to him. He received it and you watched in awe as he swerved in and out of the defense team, eventually shooting it into the net.

"Yes!" he muttered under his breath, looking up at you with a huge smile on his face. The other kids stood dumbfounded for a while until they realized the game was still going on.

"You got some skills there, Frost," you murmured to him as three other kids were checking each other in the corner nearby.

"Not so bad there yourself, (L/N)," he replied, nudging your arm lightly. You smiled at him, absentmindly sweeping the ball away from the boy trying to handle it past you.

The game continued for a while, time flying by faster than you ever thought it could.

"Yo, Jack! Heads up!" another kid on your team called, and Jack went into action, catching the ball with his hand and dropping it to the floor.

"Three seconds left in the game!" your gym teacher shouted, and you just about panicked. Your team was tied 9-9 and Jack was nowhere near the net, never mind the half-way line. But he didn't care; he just swung his stick and sent the ball flying.

The students and you watched as the ball flew into the corner of the net leaving everyone more dumbstruck than at Jack's first goal.

"Time!" the gym teacher called, and Jack jumped in the air, running over to you and giving you a big hug.

"Did you see that?!" he shouted excitedly, letting go of you to do a quick fist-pump. "I wasn't even at half-court!"

You nodded, smiling wide at the excited boy in front of you. "Yeah! That was awesome!"

"Yo, good play, Jack," one of the older boys said, walking up and giving Jack a fist pound.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied, somewhat taken aback at the human contact.

"Yeah, dude, that was so epicly amazing! I've never seen anyone score on a shot that faraway before, not even Vanek!" another boy replied, giving Jack a high-five and a hand shake.

"Really? I mean, yeah, I meant to do that," he corrected himself, smirking as he gracefully threw his stick into the barrel.

You smiled at all the attention Jack was given, grabbing his hand and beginning to lead him out the door.

"Hey, Mr. Frost," your gym teacher called, stopping both of you in your tracks. "If you seriously consider transferring over here, you should try out for the hockey team. We need some players out there like you."

Jack smiled, slightly ignoring the tug on his arm as you impatiently waited for him to get a move on. "Yeah, I'll sure consider it." Your teacher dismissed Jack, and you pulled him along up the stairs to the locker rooms.

"Who would've thought that one little hockey game would make you so popular?" you questioned, hugging Jack in front of the boys' locker room.

"I know right? It's hard enough getting used to the fact that I can't fly! I never know what to say when people talk to me because yesterday they would've just walked right through me."

"Well, yeah, but I was thinking more to having you all to myself," you mumbled into his shirt, the warmth of his body completely different to what you were used to feeling.

"Yeah, that too," he murmured, kissing the top of your head before pulling away and opening the locker door.

You smiled, turning around to head to the girls' locker room, ready to face the rest of the school day with Jack at your side.

* * *

"Hey (BF F/N)!" you shouted, running over to your lunch table with Jack following shortly behind you.

"Hey, (F/N), you seem awfully excited today, what's ne—oh," your best friend began, cutting herself off when she caught sight of Jack. "Who's this cutie here?" she added, smiling and twirling her hair discreetly.

Jack sat down beside you, smiling shyly and giving your best friend a short wave.

"Oh, (BF F/N). This is Jack," you introduced, using your hands for emphasis. "And Jack, this is (BF F/N)."

"Hi," Jack said quietly, which was unusual for his usual bubbly personality.

"Hi, Jack. Nice to meet you," your best friend replied, pulling a sandwich out of her lunch sack. "Oh, is he the guy that let you borrow his hoodie yesterday?"

You blushed, trying hard not to face-desk. "Yeah."

Jack blushed too, running a hand through his brown hair.

"Hmm, see (F/N)! I knew something was going on!" your best friend teased, earning her a small smack on the arm from you.

"Hey, lassies, who is this handsome lad you've got hanging 'round you on this lovely afternoon?" a sweet chirpy voice spoke up, not quite fitting in with the voices of the people at your table.

"No on invited you over here, Lindsay," your friend snarled, frowning at the skinny brunette that lay her folded arms on the table before you, her tiny butt stuck up in the air.

"No, but I believe this cutie unintentionally had," Lindsay smirked, pushing her red lips out and using a long, lanky finger to lift Jack's chin up.

"Hands off, he's mine," you growled, standing up and smacking her arm out of the way. Jack pushed his chair back and hid behind you, already nervous about the power this girl could have.

"Woah, since when did you become the feisty cheetah, (F/N)? It's not like he'd want somebody as _boring_ as you after he's had a piece of me," Lindsay sneered, roughly pushing you aside to get a better look at Jack.

"Hey! No one talks like that about my girlfriend!" Jack shouted angrily, standing up and pushing you behind him.

"Oh, protective…" she murmured, flipping her long hair behind her. "I like that."

Jack flinched as Lindsay sat up on the top of the table, scooting ever so slightly closer to Jack.

"Um, where are the deans when you need them?" your friend muttered under her breath, huffing out little breaths as she watched the quarrel unfold before her.

Jack reached for your hand behind you, grabbing it and squeezing it comfortingly.

_Well, he isn't a Guardian for nothing…_ you thought as you buried your head into the back of Jack's black hoodie. _Guardian…_ you repeated, having heard that word somewhere before. _I will send someone to you to be your Guardian…_

"That's it!" you accidentally said out loud.

"What's it?" Lindsay asked, frozen in the middle of reaching for Jack's face again.

_Opps…_ you blushed madly, going back to hiding in Jack's jacket.

"Oh, just that you won't hurt her and that you won't ever touch me," Jack filled in for you, a protective growl evident in his voice. "Simply because you just can't _handle_ all of this awesomeness," Jack added, smirking and flipping his hair. He quickly turned around and kissed you on the lips, short and sweet. You smiled, nuzzling yourself in the crook of his neck; loving the feeling of his strong arms holding you close.

Lindsay huffed and stormed off, but not before giving one last remark. "I'll be back, (F/N); 'cause now I have a reason to keep you on my watch list." She pointed at her eyes and then at yours, flipping her hair in indignation and turning on her heel; walking away with you laughing quietly into Jack's shirt.

"Well, okay then! That was interesting!" your friend broke the silence, chewing on her sandwich awkwardly.

You laughed harder, glad that this Man in Moon of Jack's chose you to be with him.

_Yes, interesting indeed…_

* * *

**Author's Note: Opps, sorry for the more than a week late update guys! Turns out not having an AP exam to study for doesn't change much of anything... If anything, it's the weather keeping me from writing, and my dad... with him not having a job as of yet, he's home all the time and says I _have_ to be off the computer in one hour, and I can not write one chapter in one hour! Especially this one, because each time I opened the document to write in it, I only wrote one sentence! And I'm like, well, this ain't getting me nowhere fast... But! It's done, and up for you guys to read! I didn't end it where I originally planned to end it, there's more to Jack's mortal day, but it's just the evening left and where he immortalizes back, and I might just combine that scene with the beginning of the adventure plot line scene for the next chapter, get some things moving here. :) Oh, I realized that I haven't really thanked any of you guys but I'll do so now. Thank you for all the follows and alerts and favorites and most of all, the reviews! I get so excited when I see a new review and when I read it, I get more excited and it's kind of like a motive for me to strap my butt down and get writing, cause I got two more stories to follow this one, but this one isn't even halfway done yet, and I keep getting more ideas for the other stories and it's like a fire burning in me to finish this one so I could write the exciting chapters of those stories! :O But, I must have patience. Jack, could you possibly freeze me right about now? Calm me down a bit? Thank you. :) Okay, I think I've rambled enough now, and I kind of have to shower... and finish my Chemistry homework... Good bye-bye for now! :D**


	18. Immortalization

**Starting Over**

18-Immortalization

"You know what would be really great?" your friend asked for the tenth time.

"What?" Jack replied, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you walked to your last class.

"You two participating in the talent show tonight!" she replied excitedly, adding a little jump in her step.

You stared at Jack with a skeptical look on your face.

"Um, why?" he questioned, looking at your friend warily.

"Um, duh! There's a prize for the most romantic!" she said as if the answer was obvious.

"And what exactly would we do?" you added, looping your own arm around Jack.

"Well, I don't know, do something romantic! Sing to each other or something!"

"Uh, we really _can't_ sing," you and Jack said in unison. That caused you both to laugh, Jack opening the door open for you and your friend.

"Well, you could do that instead! Say things at the same time I mean."

"That's for twins," you and Jack said again, making you both laugh harder.

Your friend rolled her eyes, taking a seat in the front of the classroom.

"Awesome," Jack cheered, giving you a high five with his bracelet hand. The bracelets glowed for a second, and you noticed your friend blink a few times; trying to understand what she just saw.

You giggled, pulling Jack down with you as you sat beside your friend in the front.

"Do you want to do it?" you whispered to Jack as your teacher walked in the room. "Join the talent show?"

"I don't care, as long as I don't immortalize in the middle of it," he whispered back, flipping his notebook open.

"Alright then, let's do it."

* * *

You sat behind the stage, rubbing your hands constantly in nervousness.

Oh why, why did you say you would do this?

Jack paced back and forth in front of you, thankfully still in the mortal state.

"Now, to sing us "Don't You Wanna Stay", welcome to the stage; Jack Frost and (F/N + L/N)!" the stage announcer—who happened to be the theatre teacher at your school—declared, the voice vibrating off your ears in the edginess of it all.

"You ready?" Jack whispered, reaching a hand out to help you up.

"If I'm not, I'm going to have to be now," you smiled slightly, giving Jack a quick hug and kiss.

Jack giggled quietly. "That's my girl." He held onto your hand as he led you onto the stage to a view of a surprisingly large crowd.

"Woah," you mouthed, looking up at Jack nervously. He smiled down at you, squeezing your hand comfortingly as he handed you a microphone.

"Ready?" he whispered, picking up his own microphone and listening to the music as it began to play.

"As I'll ever be," you whispered back, trying not to look at the crowd before you; just at Jack's chocolate brown eyes.

He nodded and closed his eyes temporarily before he began to sing in his own sweet way.

_I really hate to let this moment go  
Touching your skin, and your hair falling slow  
When a goodbye kiss, feels like this_

You took a deep breath before you began to sing along with Jack.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?  
Don't you wanna hold each other tight?  
Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?_

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_  
_We can make forever feel this way_  
_Don't you wanna stay?_

Jack stopped singing to let you have your solo, smiling at you brightly.

_Let's take it slow, I don't wanna move too fast  
I don't wanna just make love, I wanna make love last  
When you're up this high, it's a sad goodbye_

Jack grasped your hand tighter as he began to sing along with you again, just staring into your eyes, ignoring the eyes of many staring at you.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?  
Don't you wanna hold each other tight?  
Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?  
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?  
We can make forever feel this way  
Don't you wanna stay?_

_Oh yeah_

_Oh, you feel so perfect, baby, _you sang, smiling as Jack began the next line in the middle of the line you were singing.

_Yeah, you feel so perfect, baby, _he sang, turning around so that you were directly in front of him.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_  
_Don't you wanna hold each other tight?_  
_Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?_  
_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_  
_We can make forever feel this way_  
_Don't you wanna stay?_

You exhaled sharply as the music faded away, knowing that you didn't sing very well compared to the other singers that came on previous to you. But in the end it didn't matter, because Jack dropped his microphone and wrapped both of his arms around you, kissing you passionately on the lips. You smiled against his lips, throwing your arms around his neck and kissing him back.

The roaring cheers and derisive whistles from the crowd brought you back to reality, parting away from Jack and giving him a huge grin.

You began to walk back behind stage when your theatre teacher stopped you.

"No need to go anywhere Ms. (L/N) and Mr. Frost, the award ceremony begins right now," your teacher told you, pushing you and Jack back onto the stage.

You obeyed, standing with Jack amongst the other contentasts standing in the back of the stage.

You took Jack's hand, watching your bracelets glow once more.

"These are really cool when you think about it," you whispered to him, pointing to your bracelet.

"Yeah, they are," he whispered back, kissing you on the cheek as your teacher began to announce various winners, each one met with loud cheers and applause.

"And, for the most romantic performance—Jack Frost and (F/N + L/N)!"

Your jaw dropped as you hugged Jack profusely. Even though your friend urged you to do this, you still didn't expect that you'd _actually_ win.

"Two accomplishments made in one day of my mortal life!" Jack shouted in your ear over the roar of the crowd. You laughed, letting Jack put you down as you walked up to your teacher to receive your award.

"Here you go, Ms. (L/N)," your teacher said in a low voice so only you and Jack could hear, handing you a small medal. "And here you go, Mr. Frost." Your teacher winked at you two, allowing you to face the crowd and put the medals around your neck.

You looked up and smiled at Jack, but your smile quickly vanished. The tips of his hair were starting to turn white, and his skin had begun to pale.

"Jack," you whisper to him, concern in your voice. He smiled at you, only to lose it when he saw your face.

"What's happening?" he whispered as you began to drag him off the stage.

"Immortalization, disappearance, major huge freak fest afterwards," you added in short breaths, apologizing to everyone as you pushed through the other contestants.

"Oh," he finished, shutting up and trying to hide his increasingly becoming white hair.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" your best friend asked, having waited in the audience for you and Jack.

"Uh, Jack's not feeling good, going to bring him home now," you explained the best you could without mentioning that he is actually a winter _spirit_ and not a normal teenage boy in love.

Your friend's eyes widened; and you immediately know she took your explanation the wrong way.

"Okay, (F/N), you go take care of him, I'll just be here watching the rest of the ceremony." With that, your friend ran past you; giving you a wink before disappearing into the crowd.

You rolled your eyes at her shrinking figure, continuing your run out of the school.

"Come on, Jack, let's go before it's too late," you pressed, pulling him along as he attempted to keep up.

He said nothing, just kept trying to cover his hair.

"Hey, why are you two running away so soon? And after receiving an award?" Lindsay Baker interrupted, and you crashed into her, nearly knocking her over because she was so tiny. "Oh my, my little Jackie-Jack—" Jack frowned at that nickname—"You're so pale! And, translucent?" She reached a hand out to cradle Jack's face—he trying to back away—but her hand went straight through Jack.

She screamed, pulling her hand back and staring at Jack as if she just saw a ghost. You had to keep from laughing because, in all reality, she _had_ just seen a ghost. She turned and fled the other way, crying in fear of what she just experienced.

You laughed, looking up at Jack's proud face; his eyes already back to their ice-blue color.

"That—" he began, floating off the ground and beginning to drag you around.

"Was awesome," you finished, leaving the school and everyone inside it behind.

Little did you know that after next week, you'd be leaving everyone inside there forever.

* * *

**Author's Note: Tada! Jack's mortal day is now complete! Now for the adventure part... :D I got so excited today-first of all, for all the reviews because the amount I have now equals the amount I have on one of my completed stories which makes me really happy because it means my writing skills have improved a lot since last year (plus this story involves Jack, so...)-and because I finished writing this chapter in my English class today, which is my first class besides working the morning show and it left me the rest of the day to work on the next chapter but sadly, I doubt it'll be up by tonight... Now that I think of it, I should probably start really writing it because my Confirmation is this Sunday and my aunt is my sponsor and since she lives out of town my whole family (really most of my whole family, I don't really know slash care for my mom's side of the family except for a few select people that _actually_ participated in my life in a kind and cherishing way, and not everybody in the intermediate family of my dad's side is coming in, so, you really didn't need to know this, but, yeah XD) So, actually kind of expect the chapter to be up tonight so I don't leave you with a horrible cliff hanger over the weekend. (Even though what I have planned for the next chapter may be a worse of a cliff hanger than this, but, oh well) Anyways, again I don't own Jason Aldean's song featuring Kelly Clarkson "Don't You Wanna Stay" and thanks for the reviews and everything else and I believe I have said everything so I'll stop rambling so, good bye-bye for now! :P**


	19. Nightmares

**Author's Note: Not going to be a long note today, hopefully, cause I literally just updated about an hour ago, so yeah. XD Here's the beginning of the adventure in the plot line! Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnn! I won't say much as to not spoil what's in the chapter below, but I will explain some things when I update the next chapter, which would most likely be after the weekend... So, all I'm going to tell you is that it's mostly in Jack's POV in this chapter and his protective side is _totally _turned on in this chapter. XD Okay, gotta go before my dad get's back because I kind of used up my computer time and I've been on overtime for about an hour now, so, yikes. :O Here ya go, and enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

19-Nightmares

Jack tucked you into your bed, already fully immortal once more. He ran a cool hand through your hair, pulling it out of your face.

"Okay, time to go to sleep now, princess," he murmured, kissing you on your forehead.

You smiled, closing your eyes and reaching blindly for Jack's blue-jacketed arm. "Where you goin'?" you questioned drowsily, not wanting Jack to leave so soon.

"Snowstorms," he said simply, smirking at you. "My mortal day put me a bit behind schedule." He picked up his staff, swinging it around happily as it glowed a familiar soft icy blue at his touch.

"Okay…" you mumble, already falling into a deep sleep. "Be back so—" The events of the day had caught up to you and you fell asleep in mid-sentence. Jack smiled at you, kissing you one last time before hopping out the window and into the cold wintry wind.

* * *

Jack had returned about a hour later from his snowstorm adventure and was sound asleep for quite a while before he heard some kind of shuffle in the dark.

He sat up and looked down beside him, watching you sleep alongside him.

He noticed that you were shaking, but not from his coldness.

You were shaking with fear.

"(F/N)," he whispered, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. "Are you alright?"

An evil laugh echoed from inside your room, darkening the room darker than it already was.

Jack scowled at the darkness, immediately recognizing that laugh.

"Pitch…" he growled, getting up off the bed and grabbing his staff, pointing it at every shadow and object.

The laugh just continued, sounding farther and farther away with each syllable.

"Look at her, Jack," a cunning voice just dripping with honey said, rising out from the shadows. "Just look at her, shaking with fear. There's nothing more precious to watch."

A shadow jumped out the window, just missing the ice shards shooting from Jack's staff.

Jack gripped his staff tighter, angry at the shadow responsible for your fear.

"Pitch!" he shouted, jumping out your bedroom window and into the black night. "You stop giving her nightmares right now or I'll freeze you!" The wind whipped through his hair as he sped through the sky, following the shadow laughing just a few feet before him.

The laughter got louder and more vicious as the shadow began to take form of a human being. "Well, that sounds a little harsh to be coming from the Guardian of _Fun_, I must say."

Jack stopped flying and stumbled to a halt as a tall grey figure stood before him. He glared at the figure, his frown deepening as the man's smirk widened. "You hurt her, I hurt you," he growled, pointing his staff menacingly at the man known as the Boogeyman.

"You? Hurt me?" Pitch snickered, his gold eyes the only light in the night. "Why do you care so much about her? She's just a mortal!"

Jack fumbled to keep a firm grip on his staff. "She's not _just_ a mortal, Pitch."

Pitch stayed silent for a second, placing a finger on his chin as he stared at the moon above him. "Yeah, she's also emotional, thought-driven, and, oh yeah, very, _very_ fickle." Pitch played with a strand of black nightmare sand, smirking at Jack confidently. Jack loosened his grip on his staff for a second as the power of his words sunk into his head.

"That's right, Jack," he continued, walking slowly over to the winter spirit. "She can be very quick to change her mind, if she so chooses. A different class, a different hobby, even a different _boyfriend_."

Jack's temper flared up again and he gripped his staff tensely, keeping it pointed at Pitch. "She wouldn't do that! She'd _die_ before she dumped me for another!" Jack lowered his staff and widened his eyes when he realized what he'd just said.

Pitch snickered quietly, blowing the strand of nightmare sand away. "I never said you were her boyfriend, Jack. But, no matter, you just proved it to me that you are, and you can't deny it Jack; even if it meant saving _both_ of your lives."

Jack growled again, lifting his staff back up. "You don't know what I can and cannot do!" he shouted, ice sparking off from the hook of his staff.

"Really, Jack? I can sense your fear—remember what happened last time in a situation no different from this?" Jack struggled to keep his cool as he predicted what Pitch would do next.

Mental games.

He always _had to go_ with the mental games.

"You fear that she'll stop believing, fear that she'll walk through you one morning, fear that she'll no longer love you."

"No! No! She'd never stop! Not after what we've been through!" Jack screamed, the fear of those fears coming true weakening him slightly.

"You haven't been through much, Jack. It's only been five days since you met her, and less since you've been dating," Pitch taunted, teasing Jack by swirling strands of sand around his legs, tightening and un-tightening them continuously.

"Time doesn't matter when it—" Jack started until Pitch cut him off.

"When it comes to love, Jack?" he finished, releasing the strands of sand from Jack's legs. "You love her, Jack; yet you never even _told_ her. How will she believe you if you can't even express your love in words?"

Jack lowered his staff once more. Pitch was getting to him, and he knew he shouldn't let that happen; but it was happening anyways. "Actions are greater than words!" he shouted, trying to keep his brave demeanor on so Pitch wouldn't try another trick it get into Jack's head.

He laughed, shaking his head in disappointment. "You're just saying that Jack, and you know it. But, you do have a point. It's on the top of your head, but it's a point," he said suavely, folding his hands behind his back. "Actions _are_ greater than words, Jack, and you've proved it to me just how much greater they actually are. I mean, some Guardian you are. You can't even protect the ones you love."

Jack glared at Pitch, sending a few ice shards in his direction.

Pitch merely pushed the shards aside, smirking at Jack in the dark. "In fact, you're doing it right now." He extended a strand of sand out to Jack's neck, grazing it ever so slightly. "You left her alone, Jack. In a time when she needed you most."

The sand was removed from beside Jack as his eyes widened in realization.

"(F/N)…" he whispered, dropping his staff down on the rooftop below him. The _clang_ of the staff echoed in the night, the vibration unwelcome in Jack's ears. "What did you do to her?" he barely managed to squeak out, his voice gone and replaced with the thought that you may no longer believe—or even love—him anymore.

"More to the point Jack, what did _you_ do to her?"

That last line echoed in Jack's head, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it out.

You.

He had to get back to you.

Everything around him seemed to fade into blackness as Jack clumsily picked up his fallen staff and flew back to your house.

Pitch stood there in the night, smiling at Jack's disappearing figure; so bright and white in the darkness.

"Revenge," he muttered, forming a small figure of a bird in his hand. "I believe, is best served _cold_."


	20. Never to Return

**Starting Over**

20-Never to Return

Jack flew through your still open window, rushing to your bedside.

"(F/N)," he whispered, carefully dropping his staff and sitting beside you.

There was no golden dream sand floating above your head, yet you weren't sleeping dreamlessly either. You were still shaking, almost crying in your sleep.

"(F/N)," he repeated, running a hand through your hair.

Only problem was, it _literally_ ran _through_ your hair.

Jack's breathe caught in his throat as the shock settled in him.

"No…" he croaked out, running his hand through again with the same result. "No, this… this can't be…"

You didn't believe.

"(F/N)," Jack said, louder this time. "Please, wake up. It's just a nightmare." He tried to kiss your forehead, but it's kind of hard to kiss someone when you don't exist to them.

_Yes, that's it,_ Jack thought, trying his best to keep his hopes up. _It's just a bad dream. It's just a nightmare._

"(F/N), please, listen to me," he repeated, on the verge of tears. "It's just a nightmare. It's just… a nightmare…" He tried to prove it to himself that you believed, but it was to no avail. Jack's voice got caught in his throat and he slid down the side of the bed, banging his head against the mattress. He ran his hands through his hair and rested his head and arms on his knees.

For the first time in 300 years, Jack Frost cried.

* * *

Your head hurt.

It hurt really bad.

What made it worse was, you didn't know where you were.

It looked like the World of Whiteness, but it was anything but white.

Darkness encased you from every direction, and your bracelet may as well have been the cause of the darkness.

It no longer glowed at your touch, and it was no longer the comforting sky-blue that reminded you of him.

In fact, the string looked like black strands of sand rubbing against your skin.

You gingerly touched the snowflake, pulling back when a sensation of fire burning shot up your finger.

"Snowflakes don't normally burn," you muttered, looking up for anything remotely friendly in this lonely place.

That's when he crossed your mind.

Jack.

Where was he?

You swore you could've heard him speaking to you earlier, but by now you weren't even sure if he had.

If he was real.

What if you were living in a dream for five days of your life?

What if you got hit in the head with a snowball that stuck you into a coma and because it was snow, it made you dream of Jack Frost?

What if…?

Fear-filled laughter echoed in the emptiness, scaring you out of your thoughts.

"Silly girl…" a cunning voice spoke, vibrating of your ears and sending fear straight into your heart. "Silly, silly girl… Why, you'd jump off a cliff if someone told you to."

The black strand wrapped around your wrist began to cut into your skin, the grains grazing against the sensitive area and making you wince.

"Who… who are you?" you stuttered out, wishing Jack was here so you could hide behind him. "Where are you?"

A shadow in front of you changed and formed into a tall human being, his smirk bright and white in the black darkness. "Why, I'm right here, mortal one."

A grey man with black spiky hair and gold eyes as bright as the sun stood before you, arms stretched out in a creepy welcoming matter.

Your heart raced as you stared at the man, and all you could hope to imagine was Jack standing beside you, even though you knew he wasn't there.

You were alone.

Alone with only fear, darkness, and a creepy shadow man to keep you company.

"Don't be scared, little one, I'm only here to help you," the man spoke as gently as he could.

"Help me?" you repeated clumsily, clasping and unclasping your hands in confusion.

_Where's Jack?_ you thought, looking behind you eagerly to see if he was just playing a cruel trick on you.

"He's not coming back, mortal one," the grey man answered your question darkly, causing you to turn back and face him in repulsion.

_How did he—?_ you asked in your head, every other part of you frozen in fear.

"No, little one, I cannot read your thoughts; I just sense your fear." The man smirked at you as your eyes widened in shock. "Yes, mortal one. I am the King of Nightmares—but you probably know me as the Boogeyman."

Warmth flowed down your hand and you stared at your wrist where your bracelet was. Blood was dripping down from your wrist, the bracelet having cut deep into your skin.

"Ah, yes, you have discovered the curse on the bracelet," the Boogeyman replied curtly, walking a little closer to you. "You see, the longer you spend away from _him_, the more it'll cut into your skin. Eventually, the magic sand inside the bracelet will seep into your bloodstream and start tearing you apart—from the inside out."

If your eyes could widen anymore, they did. "Wha-wh-what?" you stuttered, stumbling backwards.

"Yes, my dear, you've heard me correctly," he confirmed, playing with a little bit of magical black sand himself. "It's actually better just to not believe he even't existed, that your days with him were just a long, happy dream…"

"He's… not real?" you murmured, not sure _what_ to believe anymore.

"If its what's going to save your life, then, no." The Boogeyman practically spat out that last word, smirking triumphiatly as he watched the belief fall out of your eyes.

"That's a good girl…" he muttered, controlling strands of sand with his hands, tying you together and against a post.

You began to hyperventilate, and your heart felt like it had been torn in two.

It no longer felt whole, like it was missing a piece.

A vital piece to your survival too.

But you didn't know that.

All you knew as black spots covered the corners of your eyes were: _he's not coming back…_

* * *

**Author's Note: Quick note, explain later, gotta run to school... bye!**


	21. Say You'll Stay

**Starting Over**

21-Say You'll Stay

You woke up with a start, placing your hand against your chest and feeling the _bumpity bump_ of your racing heart.

You breathed in and out deeply, trying to gather in your surroundings. You soon recognized it as your room, and you began to settle down.

_Phew, _you thought, lying back down into your bed. _It was just a dream. It was just a really, _really_ bad dream…_

You cringed as part of your nightmare replayed in your mind, biting your lip as you remembered the feeling of your bracelet cutting into your wrist.

For the sake of putting your mind at ease, you looked at your wrist where your bracelet lay wrapped around it.

It had returned to the familiar sky-blue color it originally was—or more in fact; it never changed.

You tried to lift the strands up to see if there was any indication of it cutting into your wrist, but it wouldn't budge.

At least there weren't any blood stains on your hand.

_Does that mean…?_ you began to think, but when you glanced to your window; no one stood there. Your heart sank and your budding belief faded away again. _No, it can't be… Everything must've been a dream… The World of Whiteness, the North Pole, school, Paris…_

The memory of Paris came flooding back into your head, and you nearly bawled your eyes out right then and there.

What was the meaning of life if that whole trip was just a measly little _dream_?

Your first kiss with him, first in general in fact; and it was all dream.

Just a stupid, heartbreaking, bloody _dream_.

You groaned and stuffed your head farther down in the comforts of your pillow. Unknowingly, you began to play with your bracelet, occassionally pressing the rainbow snowflake in the middle.

It started to glow a transparent blue, and your eyes widened at the sight in front of you.

_Could it be…?_

* * *

Jack hated crying.

Many a time he had urges in his long life to cry, but he held the tears back.

Now he knew why.

He hated the feeling of being alone, even though he had done so for 300 years.

He hated the feeling of his heart being ripped in two, like a piece was missing.

The piece that was vital for his survival.

He also hated how the tears spilled out of his eyes and froze against his cheeks.

It hurt like mad.

It hurt even more to try and wipe them away.

By now he had given up, he just let the salty frozen icicles stick to his cheeks. All it did was just add more effect to the feelings he was feeling now.

They were the same feelings he felt when he was walked through for the first time, the same way he felt when Jamie walked through him after the sleigh ride, the same when Bunnymund kicked him out of the Guardians, the same when his staff was broken in two… only this time it was amplified.

It was as if someone plugged a large amplifier into his heart and turned it on full power.

The pain, the sorrow, the lonliness…

It all just piled up and crashed down on him, burying him deep down under the ground.

He wouldn't be able to live without the knowledge that you still believed, even if you didn't love him anymore—he wouldn't care.

As long as you believed.

As long as you believed, he would be the happiest immortal to ever be in existence.

He'd bring snow to every town and every village, burying them until he could only see the tips of the roofs.

Heck, he'd bury the _entire_ world if you believed in him again.

Every house, every river, every monument, all under the cool blanket of his white happiness.

And your house would be the only house not buried by his creations.

He smiled at that thought, stopping his sobs for a second.

But just the mere memory of you looking at him with that look pained him, and another wave of tears escaped from him.

Why? Why must everything happen to _him_? He had didn't do anything wrong, right?

A soft blue glow seeped through his shut eyes, and he opened his eyes just a tad to see what was causing the glow.

He gasped when he saw that it was his bracelet, and a glowing bracelet meant…

"(F/N)…" he whispered, wincing at how ragged and horrible his voice came out.

The bracelet glowed brighter, and so did Jack's smile.

"(F/N)," he said with more force this time, sitting up properly and turning around to peek up your bed.

"Jack?" your voice spoke, and Jack's heavy heart immediately lifted. Even though you said his name in a question, you still said his _name_. Jack watched as you turned over in your bed, beginning to crawl in his direction.

In _his_ direction. Jack nearly cried for an entirely different reason as your eyes met his, and it felt like he was meeting you again for the first time.

"Jack!" you cried, smiling and wrapping your arms awkwardly around Jack's neck. "You're real!"

Jack laughed as he hopped up onto your bed to hug you better. "Yes, yes, I'm real!" he cried, feeling bad when his new happy tears froze in your hair. "Every part of me is real!"

You wrapped your arms around Jack, burying your face into his neck; the warm sensation Jack so missed in your short state of non-belief.

"I thought you had left…" you muttered, and it pained Jack at the mention of his actions out loud. He made a mental note to himself to never leave you again, even if Pitch taunted him so.

"No, no, I didn't," he cried into your neck, kissing you under the ear. "I would never do that to you, ever."

You pulled away from Jack, resting your forehead against his and giving him a huge smile. You kissed him passionately on the lips and pulled away again, sending happy jolts down Jack's spine.

"I've missed you so much, Jack," you whispered, kissing him again on the lips.

He kissed you back, loving everything from the softness of your lips to the warmth that melted everything inside of him.

"I missed you too, (F/N)," he whispered, hugging you closer and kissing you again.

You both pulled away again, and Jack saw that knowing look in your eye that meant you had another singing notion.

"_It's summertime, and you are all that's on my mind, everyday,_" you sang, and instantly Jack felt happy and whole again."_It seems like we, could stay up and talk through the night. Oh what do you say?_" Jack took your lead and began to take up the back-up vocals.

_Say you'll stay (hey-ey)  
Heyy (Sta-ay)  
I just keep on wishing everyday (Hey-ey)  
Hey (Sta-ay)_

_No More running around, running around_  
_(No more running around, no no no, no more running around, no no no)_  
_Running around,_  
_When I'm around,_  
_Just say you'll stay…_

You both finished that last lyric together with huge smiles on your faces. You hugged each other tighter, Jack kissing you passionately as you pulled away.

"Say you'll stay?" you whispered, lacing your fingers in between Jack's as you held hands on both of your laps.

Jack smiled, not able to resist kissing you again. "Forever and ever."

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my... I feel like that was the cheesiest thing I have ever wrote in my entire life. And I've written pretty _cheesy_ stuff. But, no matter, I kept feeling all happy and fluttery inside as I wrote the second half of this chapter and I feel like y'all just about to die of fangirliness once more. Or at least from the romanticness of it all. XD Yeah, I said I was going to explain some stuff but I forgot what I was going to explain so, oppsies. XD Oh, I don't own R5's song "Say You'll Stay" which I am over-obsessively in love with, along with Ross himself, but... no need for that. :P This is about you! And Jack! Getting back together even though you really haven't been apart! XD Yeah, I really didn't expect this to happen either... But it did! And I believe it made all the difference in Jack's eternal life. :D Also, because of this chapter, I realized I really do have a dirty mind, even though I don't want it. I re-read the chapter to correct any oppsies (I tended to accidentally omit some words in my excitement) and I read the part about Jack covering the world in snow, except I wrote it as "his white happiness". :# Ick, it made me laugh and grossed me out at the same time... And I just realized that I probably shouldn't of mentioned that because otherwise you wouldn't have noticed it most likely... Sorry for the image! I don't really like it myself! :O Okay, I better stop now, since it's past 10:30 and I'm supposed to be showered and in bed by now, but I'm in here writing this and _supposedly_ writing my Critical Lens practice due tomorrow morning... Opps. XD I didn't think I was that much of a procrastinator... oh well. That's all I have to say for now, I think. I realized that my author's notes are so long they could be a story in themselves! XD lol Okay, I'm done. Good bye-bye for now and good night! (or morning or afternoon depending on where you live XD )**


	22. Fictional Fact

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update again! Turns out the last week of school was the busiest one! I had Critical Lens practice essays to write, Trig and Chem review to do, and on top all of that, I promised my senior friend that I would work the lights for her at the dance recitals over the weekend-which was real fun by the way, all you do is press a button and the lights change-that left me not coming home until 9:30 and not going to bed until 11:30! :O I couldn't find the time to write this with all the review and stuff! By the way, I had my English Regents exam today, only four more to go! Hopefully I'll get time on the computer to write these chapters, which, coincidentally, would probably be on the exam days-which are Thursday, Friday (which is also my birthday), Monday, and next Tuesday. :/ Oh, by the way, I really can't stop the singing because even though the last one was a little random (probably just to feel my need for writing singing stories because I like those kinds of stories), those random singing moments are actually quite important to the plot line. For example, without the one song, you wouldn't be dating Jack! :O Oh, and the adventure part of this story actually _did_ start... but this story is more romance than adventure, that's why romance comes first in the genre thingy, but I can't seem to help myself and it's more exciting when there's adventure added to the mix! :D Sorry for my rambles, I'm just trying to respond to some of the reviews... which I love all of them! And all of you! Wow, nearly 100 reviews... :O I thought I'd never see the day! Thank you all so much! Okay, I'll stop because I'm keeping you from the story-by the way, for random information, my favorite Journey song "Forever in Blue" is playing right now. XD Okay, I'm stopping. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

22-Fictional Fact

_Day 8_

_December 17__th_

_Well, it looks like we'll need to make another trip back to the North today, with all that happened four days ago. I would have taken her up right after the incident, but she pretty-please begged me to take her after school was let out for break. Since it is now the weekend, I'm going to drag her up there as soon as she wakes up; which shouldn't be long now since it's 10:30 in the morning now. And, it makes me wonder why we keep having extremely random singing numbers. I wonder if it has to do something with her afterlife or what. I mean, she's still a mortal; but the only way I know she can become an immortal is by dying and there is _no way_ I am letting her die. For all I know, she could die and be gone forever, she may not immortalize! I don't want to take that chance. So, yeah, that's pretty much what happened so far. Oh, she's waking up right now! Got to go!_

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost_

You blinked your eyes a few times, sitting up in your bed to bright sunshine seeping through your curtains and onto your bed.

"Hey, princess, had sweet dreams?" Jack said, slipping something into his jacket pocket. He pulled himself back up onto your bed and sat down beside you, planting a cold kiss on your cheeks.

You blushed, fiddling with your fingers as you stared at Jack's laughter-filled ice-blue eyes.

"You bet," you smirked, kissing him back. Then you frowned as your nightmare you had thought you shunned to the corners of your mind creeped back up to the front. "I should probably tell you 'bout that nightmare though, I fear that—"

Jack placed a cool finger to your lips before you could say anything more. "Don't say that word, it only encourages him…" he whispered, wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

"Him?" you repeated, looking at Jack for help. "The King of Nightmares, that's what he said… th-the Boogeyman. He's real?"

Jack bit his lip, and you frowned at him; not wanting him to keep anything from you.

"Come on, Jack. You're real! So… is he?" you repeated, crossing your arms.

He sighed, looking down and playing with the drawstrings on his hoodie. "Yes… but—"

"So, my mother's been lying to me my whole life!" you whisper-shouted, now angry at your mother.

"No, no, she technically hasn't," Jack quickly added, putting his other hand on your shoulder, looking you straight in the eye. "(F/N), do you know why I could do what I can do?"

"Because… you're Jack Frost?" you said in more of a question than a statement.

"No, well, yeah," Jack smiled for a second before going serious again. "It's because people believe in me."

"So, if they didn't believe, you wouldn't have any powers?"

Jack shook his head with a sad smile.

"But, but, you weren't believed in for 300 years! You still had powers then!"

"I wasn't a Guardian then; their belief didn't affect me like it does now."

"So, if children stopped believing; you won't have any powers?"

Jack nodded solemnly, not really wanting to think about it. Now that he knew how it felt like to be believed in, he didn't want to go back. "But it's worse than that. Let me ask you this… Do you really exist if no one can see you?"

Your eyes widened as the information sunk into your head. "Oh no…" you gasped, covering your mouth with your hands.

"Yeah," he reinforced. "So, what I'm trying to say is, if you don't believe that the Boogeyman is real, than he isn't."

"But, you said he is!" you repeated stubbornly, not knowing what was fact or fiction.

"Immortals see other immortals no matter what," he stated, wishing the subject would change. "My point is, he won't be able to get to you if you can't see him."

"But, how can I _not_ see him if I know he's _real_?"

Jack rolled his eyes; clearly he wasn't going to change your mind. "Let's just go, okay? You can tell North and the others about your nightmare once we get there."

Your eyes widened again for a totally different reason. "You're taking me to Santa's workshop again?!" you asked excitedly, bouncing in the bed.

He laughed, standing up and pulling you up with him. "Yeah, I think it's time we had a little change in scenery, I don't know how you mortals stand it; doing the same thing every single day."

You laughed, smacking him playfully. "Hey, it's not like I have a choice!"

He smirked, giving you a knowing look. "Well, now you do."

You bit your lip, a smile hidden in your eyes as Jack swung you on his back and flew out the window.

However, despite having Jack underneath you to protect you; you still felt terrified and unsafe as the knowledge of the Boogeyman actually existing lingered in the corners of your mind.

_It will start tearing you apart—from the inside out_.


	23. Return to the Pole

**Starting Over**

23-Return to the Pole

Jack landed softly on the sleigh runway near the back of the workshop, lowering himself a little to help you slide off.

"Wow," you whisper, your voice still loud enough to echo off the walls in the big room.

Jack laughed. "Yeah, I know, wait until you see the sleigh."

You added a little jump into your walk when Jack mentioned 'sleigh'. "Oh! Would it be a little red sleigh with jingle bells and Rudolph leading it?"

He laughed again, shaking his head. "No. Man, those mortals need to get their legends straight."

You frowned slightly, thinking over the descriptions you thought were true your entire childhood. "Yeah, well, you have to give it to them. Most of them—if not all—never had a chance to actually meet Santa and everyone else."

"I guess, if you put it like that, it makes sense." Jack took your hand, leading you up through the tunnels to the elevator that lead to a room just outside the globe room. He pushed open the door for you, standing aside to let you walk in first. Bright light filtered into room from the skylight as you stepped in, staring in awe at the globe with its millions of twinkling lights.

"That's got to be reassuring, isn't it?" you asked Jack in a low voice. "The twinkling lights, knowing that now they believe in you, too."

He nodded; an almost unnoticeable smile on his face. "Yeah, but they're pretty easy to flicker out if you have the right ingredients." He put his head down for a second, probably to hide his face from yours as memories from the past flooded back into his mind.

"Jack? Is that you?" a female voice you recognized as Tooth's asked, the fairy herself flying into the room shortly after. "Oh, it is, and with (F/N) too! Good, we've got another message from Man in Moon." Jack didn't even have time to interject as Tooth grabbed both of your arms and dragged you two into Santa's private workshop.

"I can feel it Bunny! My belly's been upset lately and I know why!" a riled up North bellowed at the tall rabbit, who was currently scratching his ear.

"Oh, come on, big guy! It can't be! We _watched_ him get tackled down by his own Nightmares! He's gone!" Bunnymund retorted, standing up straight at a tall six feet.

"He's not gone, Bunny! He said so himself! _You can't get rid of me forever. There will always be fear in the world._ Remember? Besides, first time Man in Moon called since that incident you were like 'What's that showpony doing now?' He's still out there," North gripped the end of his sword tensely, swinging it slightly inside its sheath.

Bunnymund sighed dramatically. "Now, take some time to think, North. I know it's only a few weeks 'till Christmas so your brain may not be on full gear, but think. Who in their right mind would have the strength to pull themselves up after something like that?! And only in nine months?!"

Jack rolled his eyes as he casually wrapped an arm around your shoulder. "He's not in his right mind, Kangaroo, we all know that," he interrupted their bickering, causing the both of them to jump.

Bunny growled, now glaring at the winter spirit. "Stop calling me that! And, obviously, not all of us know that he's in his right mind, just by the way I stated it!"

North put on a smile, trying to set the argument aside. "(F/N)! Nice to see you again!" he greeted, laughing his big laugh and using his hands for expression. "And, Bunny, don't encourage him, we have company."

Bunnymund rolled his eyes but dropped it, slumping in the chair behind the huge desk and looking out the window overlooking the mountains of the north.

You smiled, swaying on the balls of your feet. You realized you were barefoot and in your pajamas, which embarrassed you a little; but then you remembered that the only people Santa does see are in pajamas and it's only once a year.

"I presume that most of prophecy has come true, Jack?" North continued, now looking at Jack and placing a huge hand on his shoulder. You watched Jack buckle under his weight before he gained his composure once more.

Jack smirked at North, pulling you in closer while you pretended not to notice what he was doing. "Pretty much, yeah." He smiled at you and you smiled back before looking down at your feet as you felt a blush sneaking up your cheeks.

North grinned knowingly, removing his hand from Jack's shoulder and standing aside for Tooth and Sandy to fly in. Sandy waved at you with a small smile on his face; a series of images flashing over his head so fast you couldn't tell what he was trying to say to you.

You looked at Jack for help, but he merely shrugged, swinging his staff around carelessly.

"What he's trying to say (F/N) is that you could be in possible danger," Tooth explained, slowing her fluttering wings for a second.

You felt Jack tense up beside you, and you knew he didn't expect _that_. Eyes wide, you replied slowly, "What do you mean; danger?"

"She means that your mortality and relationship with immortal proves to be easy target for someone we thought we had defeated," North explained, trying to make such a difficult topic seem simple.

"Again," Bunnymund added, pointing his boomerang to make his point clear. "What I don't understand is; how could he be back? He was attacked by his own Nightmares! It's impossible!" he stood up sharply, knocking a small figurine over on the desk.

"No, he's back, Bunny," Jack stated simply, anger and sadness evident in his voice. "I saw him. So has she." Jack used his free arm to point at you and squeezed your shoulder accidentally in his nervous tension. You used your hand closest to him to rub his back comfortingly, letting him know that you were alright.

"She saw him?!" Tooth said shrilly, covering her mouth with both of her tiny little hands, her green and purple feathers ruffled. "Oh no, this _can not_ be good, North; if he's strong enough to interfere…"

North and Bunny were aghast, but North quickly shook it off and returned to his leaderly position; and you knew you were about to see the interrogative side of Santa. "How did you see him, (F/N)? Did you always believe in him? Did you go looking for him? What happened?"

Your breath hitched in your throat as he threw all those questions at you and the mere memory of your nightmare froze you in place. Jack dropped his arm from around your shoulder and took your hand instead; squeezing it comfortingly as your bracelets glowed the sky-blue color it always glowed when your hands touched.

"In a—in a… nightmare…" you finally answered, trying not to freak out as the horror of it all bounced off the walls of your brain. You felt Jack's comforting cold lips against your neck as the entire room went silent; the only sound being Tooth's constantly fluttering wings.

"He's strong enough…" Tooth whispered, breaking the silence.

"What happened?" Bunny asked, now truly believing that the Boogeyman has returned to power. "In the nightmare, I mean."

You stalled, scared for something and you didn't know why.

"It's okay, (F/N)," Jack whispered in your ear, now standing behind you and hugging you tightly. "I'm here."

"Well, it began with me standing all alone somewhere very, very dark. I was scared, and my head hurt…"

* * *

_Fear-filled laughter echoed in the emptiness, scaring you out of your thoughts._

_"Silly girl…" a cunning voice spoke, vibrating of your ears and sending fear straight into your heart. "Silly, silly girl… Why, you'd jump off a cliff if someone told you to."_

_The black strand wrapped around your wrist began to cut into your skin, the grains grazing against the sensitive area and making you wince._

_"Who… who are you?" you stuttered out, wishing Jack was here so you could hide behind him. "Where are you?"_

_A shadow in front of you changed and formed into a tall human being, his smirk bright and white in the black darkness. "Why, I'm right here, mortal one."_

_A grey man with black spiky hair and gold eyes as bright as the sun stood before you, arms stretched out in a creepy welcoming matter._

_Your heart raced as you stared at the man, and all you could hope to imagine was Jack standing beside you, even though you knew he wasn't there._

_You were alone._

_Alone with only fear, darkness, and a creepy shadow man to keep you company._

_"Don't be scared, little one, I'm only here to help you," the man spoke as gently as he could._

_"Help me?" you repeated clumsily, clasping and unclasping your hands in confusion._

Where's Jack?_ you thought, looking behind you eagerly to see if he was just playing a cruel trick on you._

_"He's not coming back, mortal one," the grey man answered your question darkly, causing you to turn back and face him in repulsion._

How did he—?_ you asked in your head, every other part of you frozen in fear._

_"No, little one, I cannot read your thoughts; I just sense your fear." The man smirked at you as your eyes widened in shock. "Yes, mortal one. I am the King of Nightmares—but you probably know me as the Boogeyman."_

_Warmth flowed down your hand and you stared at your wrist where your bracelet was. Blood was dripping down from your wrist, the bracelet having cut deep into your skin._

_"Ah, yes, you have discovered the curse on the bracelet," the Boogeyman replied curtly, walking a little closer to you. "You see, the longer you spend away from _him_, the more it'll cut into your skin. Eventually, the magic sand inside the bracelet will seep into your bloodstream and start tearing you apart—from the inside out."_

_If your eyes could widen anymore, they did. "Wha-wh-what?" you stuttered, stumbling backwards._

_"Yes, my dear, you've heard me correctly," he confirmed, playing with a little bit of magical black sand himself. "It's actually better just to not believe he even existed, that your days with him were just a long, happy dream…"_

_"He's… not real?" you murmured, not sure _what_ to believe anymore._

_"If its what's going to save your life, then, no." The Boogeyman practically spat out that last word, smirking triumphantly as he watched the belief fall out of your eyes._

_"That's a good girl…" he muttered, controlling strands of sand with his hands, tying you together and against a post._

_You began to hyperventilate, and only one thought raged through your head as the ropes tightened around your chest._

He's not coming back.

* * *

You opened your eyes to see Jack's concerned ones staring back at you.

"(F/N)? Are you okay? You… passed out at the end there," Jack asked, worry showing everywhere on his face. He pulled your hair out of your face, his cool hand rubbing against your forehead; which you noticed was burning up.

"Yeah, yeah," you mumble, trying to sit up only to have Jack push you back down.

"Don't get up yet. You scared the living daylights out of me when you fell. I didn't think I was going to catch you in time."

You smiled slightly, even though Jack was being truly serious. You realized that you were in Jack's room, and you were lying down in Jack's bed; staring up at the icicles hanging from the ceiling high above you.

"It was so scary…" you muttered, focusing on Jack's face as he sat beside you in his bed. "I actually thought you weren't real for a while there…"

Jack made a pained look as he ran a hand through your hair. "I know…" he whispered, scooting himself closer to you. "But I'm here now, and that's all that matters." He leaned down and kissed you softly on the lips, leaving the both of you smiling as he pulled away.

"I never thought I'd see Frostbite kiss someone in my entire immortal life," Bunnymund interrupted, startling you and causing a blush to crawl up to your cheeks. Jack's face turned blue also as he pulled away completely, clearly having forgotten he wasn't alone with you.

Tooth's light giggle echoed in the large room as she flew over to the opposite side of Jack's bed. "Are you alright, (F/N)? You had a terrible fall," she asked, her voice as soothing as a mother's—if not more.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you replied, smiling up at the fairy as she hovered beside you.

"That's good, dear. At least you're alright. North ordered for the yetis to make you a bowl of hot chicken soup, it should help you feel better," Tooth continued as Jack ran his hand across your burning forehead again and again. You turned to look at the jolly man waving at you pleasantly, concern etched into his face as he watched you lay there in Jack's bed.

"Thanks," you murmured to North, your eyelids starting to feel heavy as you said that.

"Guys," Jack spoke up quietly, leaving his hand tangled inside your hair as he looked up at the other Guardians. "She's starting to get tired. We should let her get some rest."

"Yes, that's correct," Tooth replied, waving Sandy over to your bedside. "We'll leave you guys alone as she gets some rest." Jack gave Tooth a weird look. "I figured she didn't want you to leave, nor do you," she whispered to him, giving him a wink. Jack smiled at Tooth, mouthing something you couldn't read. You watched through tiny slits as Sandy sprinkled some golden dream sand on your eyes, feeling the bed move as Jack lay down beside you, wrapping his arms around your waist.

You listened as everyone left the room, North shutting the door behind him. Jack's breathing slowed behind you and you smiled as you tucked yourself closer to him; feeling the most safe you've felt in ages as the dream sand began to take effect on you. Soon, you drifted away to the happiest and most non-dramatic dream you've had; with Jack sleeping peacefully beside you as the boy sent to you to be your Guardian.

Somewhere deep down inside, you knew you were going to need him too.

* * *

**Author's Note: Tada! You're back at the Pole! And, even though you probably would never notice, but there's a slight change in the intended plot line. I intended for a fluffy moment with you just chillaxing with Jack in your living room watching Christmas shows while your parents were away for something and that, but I found that the next chapter I'm about to write is more compatible with a major plot event than having you and Jack return home for that fluffy moment just for having to return for that... it makes more sense for that event to happen while you're already at the Pole; so yeah. It's getting closer now! The scene that I can't wait to write is only a few chapters away! :O Unless, of course, another idea comes into my head and pushes it back a little more, but I can feel it! It's coming! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Everything will become clear soon, don't you worry. XD :P Okay, I didn't really have anything important to say yet I managed to ramble a whole paragraph... the only thing is that my birthday and Trigonometry exam is tomorrow and I may not get another chapter up for a while, being the weekend and exams Monday and Tuesday... and my birthday party, so yeah. Jon Bon Jovi is singing right now, just because I wanted to be random and mention that... XD lol Okay, I'm done. :P Good bye-bye for now!**


	24. Mini Surprise

**Starting Over**

24-Mini Surprise

You woke up to having a wet snowball smash apart on your face. Next, the ringing joyful laughter that belonged to your boyfriend entered your ears and you opened your eyes with a huge grin on your face.

"Morning to you, too, sunshine," you laughed, sitting up and dunking behind one of the plush pillows as Jack threw another snowball at your face.

"Wakey, wakey, princess!" Jack giggled, flying out of the way as you threw a pillow at him. "By the way, it's not really morning, it's more like evening."

You rolled your eyes, still laughing and dodging his snowballs. "Oh, it doesn't matter anyways, Mister Smarty-Pants." You threw another pillow at the same time Jack threw a snowball, and they collided with each other in the air; landing on the floor in a pile of wet feathers.

"Opps, there goes another one of my pillows," Jack stated, smirking and flying towards you.

"Another one? How many do you destroy in a day?" you asked, your breath escaping you in a sharp 'oof' as Jack tackled you down into the bed.

"More than necessary," he smirked, pinning you down against the mattress.

"Obviously, and add a trapped girl to that and you're all set!" you joke, pretending to be Jack's hostage.

"I like trapped girls," Jack said huskily, bringing his face down so it was just inches away from your face. "That way I could save them."

You laughed, pushing Jack off you and rolling him over so you were on top of him. "Eh, I guess I just don't need saving today." You laughed harder as Jack pretended to be hurt, but he stopped when you leaned in and gave him a light kiss. It actually took Jack by surprise, so you decided to get off him completely and sit up beside him, turning to face the other way. "It looks like it's _you_ that needs saving tonight," you added, smirking as you watched Jack try to figure out what just happened.

Jack finally did, and he sat up quickly and hugged you from behind. "Yeah, but I have the most beautiful girl here to save me." He kissed you passionately along your neck, with you moaning and leaning back against his chest.

"My face is this way, Romeo," you murmured; turning your body around to push Jack down and kiss him properly.

"Like I didn't know that, Juliet," Jack replied sarcastically before kissing you deeper. You rested your hands against the top of his shoulders, kissing Jack harder with each kiss. He wrapped his arms around your waist, his hands a little lower on your body than normal. You didn't mind; however, as you were too busy keeping your lips in rhythm with Jack's. You bit Jack's lip roughly, taking him by surprise again as you inserted your tongue inside his mouth.

The scent of pine and wintergreen entered your system, and everything that had sense inside your body went dead. Your tongue played around in Jack's mouth, and you noticed how funny a feeling it was to be practically _licking_ the inside of someone else's mouth.

Jack groaned beneath you as he attempted to insert his tongue in your mouth. The sense that was left in your body realized that your body was pressing itself against Jack's body a little harder than usual. You could almost feel the pleasure rising up through Jack as you bit his lip again.

He moved his hands to the front of your body and pushed you over so he was on top of you. You both pulled away for a second to catch your breath; then Jack began to kiss you again, rough and sweet at the same time. You wrapped your arms around his neck, twirling white strands of hair between your fingers. You moaned as Jack unknowingly pressed himself against you, starting to miss your lips as he kissed faster.

"Hey, Jack, I need to see you for a second, oh, am I interrupting?" North asked, standing by the bedside with some urgency in his tone of voice.

Jack rolled his eyes as he pulled away, lifting himself up by resting his hands on your stomach. "No, I'm lying on top of her just for the sake of doing it," he responded sarcastically; staring at North and hoping that this _one_ time, he would understand sarcasm.

He didn't, for he laughed and said, "Good, you're not doing anything important. So come with me, I have something for you."

Jack sighed, but rolled off of you anyways. "Be right back," he whispered to you, kissing you one last time on the cheek. You giggled, a little disappointed that you were interrupted but you knew Jack had other duties to attend to.

"Alright, come on Jack; it's not like she won't be there when we return," North added impatiently, grabbing the back of Jack's hoodie and pulling him along. Jack rolled his eyes yet complied with him, turning around and walking away properly.

"Hey, the way you're speaking about with Pitch being back and all she might not be!" he complained closing the door behind himself.

_Pitch?_ you thought, wondering who he was talking about. After a while, however, you realized that Pitch may be the official name for the Boogeyman. You stared at your bracelet, speculating whether or not the curse this Pitch had mentioned was true.

You prayed to the Man in Moon that it wasn't.

* * *

"No need for worry, now, Jack; the workshop is safe—corner to corner," North reassured, leading Jack through the hallways to his private workshop. "Pitch can't penetrate walls and take her."

"Ugh, I know! But I promised her I'd never leave her again!" Jack complained, flinging his arms up in the air for exaggeration.

"And you're not! In fact, now you can make permanent decision about never leaving her again!" North said, rummaging through several drawers in his desk.

Jack gave North a confused look, his staff lay limp in his hand. "Huh?"

"Man in Moon gave me new gift for you to use," he explained, muttering something else under his breath as he slammed one drawer shut to open a new one. "You've been writing in that journal, I presume?"

Jack nodded, wondering what on Earth North could be searching for.

"Good, because the prophecy seemed to have taken darker route," he replied, getting more frustrated by the minute.

"Darker route?" Jack shouted; eyes wide. "She's not going to die, is she?" His heart pounded in his chest, the pain of losing you forever burning profusely inside his chest; making him want to fall down into a heap and scream until the world blew up.

"Nope, not that I know of," he replied, finally giving up on searching through the drawers and moving over to the huge shelves to find whatever he was looking for. "The prophecy just predicts that Pitch is rising once more and (F/N) is in his plans of comeback."

"But, why?" Jack cried, his voice starting to catch in his throat again. "She's just an innocent bystander! He has no reason to involve her! If anything, he should involve me! I was the one who finished him off!"

North stood up suddenly as if an idea had just exploded into his head. "That's exactly his plan. He's using her to get to you!"

That notion fell upon Jack's head like a rock falling from the top of Mount Everest. "And it's working…" he whispered, nearly losing his balance.

"Ah, ha!" North shouted suddenly, holding something up in the air. "Found it!"

Jack jumped about a foot in the air and stayed there, staring at the big man in confusion. "Wh-what's it?"

"Take this, Jack. It holds something very special inside." North placed a small silver box in Jack's open palm, gently closing his cool, lanky fingers over it. Jack went to open it to see what was inside, but North stopped him; giving him a stern look.

"Na, ah! It's a surprise," he scolded, giving him a big smile. Jack cocked an eyebrow at the large man but stuffed the small box into his pocket anyways.

"I hope you're right North," he murmured, flying towards the door. "'Cause it would kill me again if I lost her." He looked at North with the most innocent face he could create before he flew out the door; leaving Santa shouting something after him that he couldn't understand through the roar of the wind in his ears.

Jack stuck his empty hand into his pocket, pushing the small box around with his fingers until he had a firm grip on it. He pulled it out and stared at it as he landed in front of his bedroom door; wondering what could possibly fit in a box that _small_.

"It's gonna kill me if I don't find out what's in this box, too," he muttered, frowning at it before stuffing it back into his pocket. He opened the door and smiled at you sitting there pleasantly on his bed; leafing through the pages of your sketchbook. Jack wondered how you managed to get your sketchbook here because you never grabbed it, but he put that thought to the back of his mind as he flew over to you.

"I'm back," he announced, sitting down on the bed and hugging you from behind; giving you a light kiss on the cheek.

"I figured it out," you said, looking up and smiling at Jack. "The hidden purpose of the World of Whiteness."

* * *

**Author's Note: Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnn! Turns out I had a chance to write this chapter yesterday and the day before and post it today! :D Yay! Also, I had a great birthday yesterday! I got a camcorder from my dad, earrings from my sister-which are really adorable because the one pair are tigers :P-money from my nana and aunt-which would help me because I'm saving money to create my Jack Frost costume-and a multi-device sound system and a Hunter Hayes CD from my mom! :O I was so excited opening the CD! I ripped a little bit of the wrapper off and immediately recognized it and freaked out so much it was like the CD was on fire! XD Beep, beep, huge Hayniac alert. XD So, anyways, yeah, that was my day yesterday. XD And this is your day with Jack Frost! :P Well, evening actually, but, no matter. What's in the box? I wouldn't know even if it were to kill me. XD Actually, I do know because I'm the writer, but, the characters and you don't so I have to be hushed! ;) Okay, I shall now be done with my rambling now and continue on to write Chapter 25! And get ready for church because my sister and I have a wedding to serve at today... :) Alrighty, good bye-bye for now and have an awesome day! :D**


	25. Bigger Surprise

**Author's Note: Sorry for the fact that I haven't updated in a week! :O Turns out, summer vacation means _less_ time to write instead of _more_ for some odd reason... And, also, I got my driver's permit yesterday and my dad's been letting me drive everywhere and I was also taking pictures and videos everywhere with my new camcorder and editing it into a music video. :) I decided that my sister and I (because, I, unfortunately, cannot sing _good_) can make music videos with her singing and acting and me as the director, producer, and piano player. :) Right now, for my debut video I'm producing our cover version of John Lennon's "Imagine". :D That's a song I can play with little to no mistakes on the piano since it's so simple and I've played it so much. XD Oh, and I can park pretty straight! Yeah! But I really don't want to start having to park between other cars just yet... it's kind of scary... :O But, yeah, that's what happened this week, along with my Spanish exam and Chemistry exam which were both _super easy_ and done with before the first set of buses arrived (the way the Regents exams work for those who don't live in New York State is that you have to stay for two hours, but you have three hours to work on the exam, but I've never used more than just a little over two hours and the only times I did that was because I had essays to write for English and Global, well, Spanish too, but writing in Spanish is easier probably because you're writing at a first grade level) and I just rambled a whole lot there. XD lol :P So, anyways, yeah, that's what's happening up in my household. And in your household with Jack, you're about to get another surprise and, sorry to mention; you won't find out what's in the little box in this chapter. It looks like it's going to be in the next chapter, which I should _hopefully_ have up quicker than this one. :O So, yeah, two tiny cliffhangers for you now, even this one should be easier to figure out; even though I am quite shocked that nearly none of you knew what is in the box, I thought it was a little obvious but I guess not! So, I will be shushie and not say anything. ;) Alright, I just rambled a humongous paragraph here at the _beginning_ of a chapter so I am going to stop so you can get to reading. XD Oh, and yeah, the chapter title for this one seems a little lame to me but the original title I had no longer made sense with the chapter I ended up typing so this one was magicked up instead. :/ Oh well... oh, and "Teenage Wasteland" by the Who just started to play! :O XD :P Alright, I'm stopping... Enjoy! **

* * *

**Starting Over**

25-Bigger Surprise

You watched Jack as he took in the information you just spilled out to him.

"The hidden purpose?" he finally responded, turning himself around so he was in front of you.

"Yeah, there's a hidden purpose," you repeated, taking his hand and watching the bracelets begin to glow. "And it has to do with my sketchbook and drawing habits."

"You _are_ a good drawer," Jack complimented, smirking and giving you another kiss.

You smiled, a small blush forming on your cheeks. "Here, let me show you what I mean," you added, holding Jack's hand up against yours and waiting as the bracelets glowed brighter and brighter.

The room around you began to turn white, and in a flash; the room was gone.

* * *

You and Jack both sat down hard on the white ground when you teleported from the high elevation of the bed to the low elevation of the ground.

"We are going to need to do something about that," Jack complained as he stood up, holding his hand out to help you up also.

"We can," you replied with a smile, lifting your sketchbook up in pride. "I have a whole architectural plan that I drew in here, and we could use it as a blue print for when we build stuff here."

Jack cocked an eyebrow at you, trying to figure out what you were saying. "Um, what do you mean, 'build stuff'?"

You rolled your eyes, sitting back down on the ground and taking out your pencil. "I mean, as in a whole little town or something. The only building materials we have at this current moment are your ice; but there is no fluctuating temperature in the World of Whiteness, I've noticed that because your ice palace is still standing."

Jack's ice-blue eyes widened. "It is? Wow… impressive." He did a 360 to look for it, but didn't see it amongst all the whiteness.

"You can't see it from here. Remember? You built it a few blocks away from where my house is approximately located in this world. Right now, it would be safe to assume that we are somewhere around in Antarctica."

"Antarctica?" Jack shouted in bewilderment. "But we teleported from inside my room at the North Pole! Not the South!"

"That's another thing," you whispered, almost darkly in some manner. "The World of Whiteness' axis is reversed."

Jack looked at you, his eyebrows moving closer together as he gathered in the information you were sending him. "Reversed?" he repeated in a pitch higher than normal.

"Yeah, reversed," you said seriously, biting back a giggle at Jack's expression. "If we teleport from the North we end up in the South, East in the West and vice versa; et cetera, et cetera."

"So, if we teleport from here inside the World of Whiteness, will we end up back in the North?"

"No," you said flatly, still wondering why the World of Whiteness was the way it is.

"Oh, holy frozen snowballs—sorry, I don't want to swear in front of you," Jack interrupted himself when he saw your strange expression at his weird remark. "This world is just so darn confusing! Before, we teleported out of here at the North and ended up in the North, but why not now?"

You stopped and thought about that for a second. He had a point, you realized, for you _had_ teleported to this world for the first time from the mountains of the North and ended up in Santa's workshop in the _North Pole_. "Huh, that's weird," you muttered, your pencil lying limp in your hand.

"I know, right?!" Jack shouted, feigning a faint and falling down hard against the white ground.

You cringed, closing your eyes for a second and waiting until you heard Jack sit up and scoot over to sit beside you.

Then an eerie thought fell into your head like the water crashing down against the rocks of Niagara Falls.

"It's been messed with," you whispered, almost inaudibly.

This caught Jack's attention. He placed both of his hands on your knee as he looked at you impatiently for the answers, his ice-blue eyes wide and pleading.

You smirked at his expression, nearly forgetting that you were leaving him hanging. "The curse," you spoke up again, watching his expression change from innocent and adorable to shock and fear. "It's real, and it has affected how we use the World of Whiteness. He—Pitch, that is—wants us to, uh—"

"To teleport here from a location he wants to damage and send us halfway across the world where we can't stop him from his destruction?" Jack finished for you, sitting back down and running a hand through his snow white hair. "Man, this is heavy."

You giggled lightly, Jack giving you a strange look.

"What?" he said; slightly aggravated.

"That's a phrase from the eighties," you laughed, poking Jack in the side. "'This is heavy'. Marty McFly says it all the time in the movie trilogy _Back to_ _the Future_."

"So?"

"It's just funny, that's all." Jack nodded, satisfied with your answer and unable to keep a slight smile hidden from your view.

"So, um, what were your plans about building buildings with ice or something like that?" Jack asked shortly after a silence had fallen between you two.

"Oh, um, I was planning on making like a tiny little city or something in here, so we don't feel so like, you know; lost in some creepy supernatural world of some sort," you rambled, having forgotten the original reason for teleporting to the World of Whiteness.

"And how much time do we have?" Jack asked, smirking at you and carelessly swinging his staff over his shoulder.

"All the time in the world," you smirked back, then added, "Well, actually until January second because that's when I return to school but that still leaves us with two weeks to work here, possibly even staying overnight once we get a good portion of it developed."

"What about your mom?" he asked, turning around after pacing a little and sitting back down on the ground. "Wouldn't she be worried about where you are?"

Your eyes widened. You had _completely_ forgotten about the fact that you left your mom behind in your house thinking you were still _sleeping_. "Oh…" you said all in one long breath.

"Frozen snowballs, am I right?" Jack filled in for you, laughter shining in his eyes as he slid closer to you.

"Yeah, totally," you mumble, letting a small smirk show through. Another silence fell between the two of you and you awkwardly played with your pencil, wondering exactly _how_ you were going to build an entire _city_.

"So, um, want to get started?" you finally spoke up, shaking Jack out of his trance.

You had to admit, it was quite funny to watch Jack shake his head and focus on you again.

"Oh, yeah, right," he murmured, but you knew he had no intentions of starting. He smiled and leaned in, and before you had time to breathe Jack was on top of you, kissing you passionately. You lay back against the ground and dropped the pencil you were holding, carelessly leaving your sketchbook out of your reach. Jack's bracelet hand intertwined with yours, his other hand slowly rubbing your other arm romantically.

On accident, Jack's hand-holding triggered the teleportation back to Earth and a flash of white went unnoticed between the two of you as you were sent back out of the World of Whiteness.

* * *

"Bunny! Shh! They're here!" a Russian-accented whisper filled your ears as Jack pulled away from you in shock.

Wide-eyed and befuddled, he rolled off of you and turned his body around to lean on it and get a good look at the dark room, multiple shuffles being heard in the silence.

You looked up and realized that you were in a house, almost like a log cabin.

"What the…?" you whispered, looking at Jack only to have him look back at you with the same look on his face. "There shouldn't be any houses in Antarctica."

"There weren't any last time I was here," he murmured, grabbing your hand for comfort.

"Well, there is now!" a jolly Russian voice boomed in the tiny room. You stared at Jack and watched four silhouettes step out of the darkness as a light was switched on.

"SURPRISE!"


	26. Home Sweet Antarctica

**Starting Over**

26-Home Sweet Antarctica

You stared wide-eyed as the Guardians of Hope, Wonder, Memories, and Dreams stood before you and Jack; huge, toothy grins shining on their faces.

"Surprise!" Tooth repeated, flying up to you excitedly with her purple wings fluttering quickly, a rush of wind following her. "Welcome to your new home! Isn't it exciting? You and Jack, living together?"

You cocked an eyebrow at Tooth, wondering what the bubbly fairy was thinking about.

"Li-living together? What's this all about?" Jack asked in a louder voice than necessary.

"Oh, did you not—? Let me see your hand (F/N), no the other one, oh, never mind then," Tooth rambled as everyone except you and Jack exchanged glances of bewilderment.

You looked at Jack, trying to send him the mental note of _What are we missing here?_

He looked back and shrugged as Tooth whispered something in North's ear.

North shrugged, whispering in a tone not as quiet, "I thought was obvious, tiny box and talk about permanent decision."

_What tiny box? _you thought shrilly. _What permanent decision? Wait a minute, what's going on here?_ You glanced at Jack suspiciously but he was still as confused as before.

"Oh well, they're going to need it anyways; based on Manny's latest addition to prophecy," North concluded, shrugging it off as a simple mistake.

"What addition?" Jack asked suddenly, startling North and Tooth alike.

North looked at Tooth and Tooth gave a little nod, seeming to encourage him to do something. "Jack, come with me."

"Again? Now what? I don't think I can take all these secret meetings anymore!" Jack complained, rolling his eyes and getting up to follow North into another room of the unexplored house.

Apparently, _your_ house.

You listened to North's hearty laugh as their voices got more distant, then you turned around to look at the other Guardians, hoping for a better explanation then Tooth's random hand-seeing one.

Sandy, by now, had dozed off; sound asleep and completely unaware of what was happening around him.

Bunnymund was leaning against a door frame, twirling his boomerang around in his furry paws.

"So, um, I guess I am obliged to take you on a tour then," Tooth announced, breaking the awkward silence.

You nodded, standing up and shaking yourself off to try and make it less awkward than it was. "Yeah, um, yeah, that's a good idea."

You followed the excited fairy into another room, leaving Bunnymund and the sleeping Sandy behind.

You had to admit, the Guardians did a wonderful job with the house. It seemed to be an authentic log cabin but extremely modern at the same time. Dark brown wood accented the hallway with the veins of the wood flowing downwards to the cherry wood floor like Jack's frost across a foggy windowpane. Spruce wooden doors stayed shut on either side of the hallway, leading into other rooms that you supposed you would explore later.

"Okay, the room you teleported into was the main living room, and with its nice open layout it leads straight into the kitchen but I decided to show you the back section of the house first and make our way up to the front," Tooth explained, opening the dark door at the end of the hallway.

You stood still with your mouth agape. You were standing outside on the dark wood of a covered wrap-around porch; several dark posts a few feet apart each reaching up to the roof with a fence of the same color filling in the lower half of the gaps in-between. It was unfurnished as of yet, but your imagination was on fire as you ran your hand across the log siding of the home, walking around the porch and peeking around the other side.

"Wow," you whispered, looking away from the house to stare at the view of the white Antarctic mountains. "This… is… _amazing_." You wrapped your arms around yourself as a freezing cold breeze whipped you in the face, leaving you shaking to the bone.

"Oh, we should probably bring you back inside, you are _so_ not prepared for the cold ambient temperature of the Antarctic," Tooth said in a motherly tone, flying over to you and wrapping her small arms around you as she led you back inside.

"Tell me about it," you said sarcastically, your teeth chattering from the chill. You entered the house again from the same entrance and stood there while Tooth shut the door.

"Okay, now on with the tour," she said excitedly, pointing at the door to the left of her. "This is an extra room, so is this one, and that one," she continued, pointing at the other doors. "This one is your bedroom, you can design it to fit your and Jack's will." She opened the last dark door in the hallway—or the first depending which way you walked in it—to reveal a plain white room with what looked to be a queen-sized bed all made with plush pillows and everything against the wall at your right.

"This is huge," you muttered, tentatively stepping into the room to get a better look at it. "I like the huge window," you said, pointing at the three panel ceiling to floor window in the wall farthest from you.

"You do?" Tooth asked excitedly, fluttering her wings faster. "That was my idea!"

You giggled, giving the tooth fairy a huge grin. "Anything else to see?" you asked, starting to get excited yourself.

"Well, just the main room and the kitchen; we thought you and Jack didn't really need that much."

You shook your head in agreement, not sure how to respond to that. You still lived with your mother and had a life in the mortal world, you couldn't just leave it all behind to live with Jack—and besides, are you ready for that? You are also still a mortal yourself!

You let that thought slip to the back of your mind as you followed Tooth out of the hallway and back into the large main room.

You sure do have _a lot_ to think about, you realized.

* * *

"Jack, now is time you peek into little gift I give you earlier," North stated, staring out the window of the empty room he and Jack stood in.

"But, I don't understand, you tell me not to look and now you tell me I can?" Jack asked, scratching his head with one hand and pulling the tiny box out of his pocket with the other; his staff, he realized then, still in the World of Whiteness.

"Well, knowing you, I thought you would've figured it out by time you left room. Guess I was wrong," North shrugged, turning his head away from the window to look at Jack. "So, go ahead, take peek."

Jack nodded, staring at the box for a second before tentatively opening it.

What was inside shocked Jack, but at the same time sent his heart racing at incredibly fast speeds. He shut the box slowly, looking up at North with a smile on his face.

North gave him a wide grin, walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your welcome, Jack. Now go, you have someone waiting for you."

Jack nodded, still standing there as North walked back to the window; trying to think after what he had just been given.

Slowly, he turned around and left the room quietly, placing the tiny box back into his jacket pocket. He grinned at the closed door and let out a breath as he stared down the hallway, watching you round the corner with Tooth, presumably on a tour of the house.

He smiled at you and played with the tiny box in his pocket, thinking, _Am I really ready for this?_

* * *

**Author's Note: Yeah, I guess the updates are going to be weekly now, what with computer time limits and the nice summer weather... But, do not worry! I shall not abandon the story! :D This will be a quick note, since I have to leave for church in about ten minutes and I might end up driving there and for some reason, it takes longer for me to drive places then my parents even if I take the same route... :/ So, yeah, now I believe you know what is in that box and what the next chapter is going to be on! Opps, gotta go now, so bye-bye!**


	27. Eve of Destruction

**Starting Over**

27-Eve of Destruction

"(F/N), I, uh, I need to tell you something," you heard Jack say behind you, his cool hand on your shoulder.

"Okay, what is it then?" you reply, turning around to face him; completely aware of the nervous state he was in. "And, cut it out, Jack. You don't need to be so nervous. It's just me."

"I, I know. It's just… everyone is watching and…" he stuttered, dropping his hand from your shoulder.

"And what?" you asked simply, looking at Jack suspiciously. "They're your friends—mine too—so you have no reason to be nervous around them."

"I know, and… I'm not, but—" Jack's sentence was cut off by Tooth letting out a small gasp.

"What?" you say, looking at Tooth, who was looking at something behind you.

"No-nothing…" she stuttered, appearing just as nervous as Jack. "Nothing you need to worry about… yet."

Jack also gave Tooth a weird look as he took your hand in his, the bracelets glowing brightly. "Let's go to the Ice Palace," he smirked as the room began to whiten.

"Alright," you replied, still wondering exactly _what_ had gotten into Jack.

"NO! GUYS! DON'T GO YET! SOMEONE'S—" Tooth started to shout but was interrupted when the white flash teleported you and Jack out of the home in Antarctica. "…Tagging along…" she finished in a quieter voice.

Tooth gave North a worried look as she stared at the place you and Jack once stood. "He's…" she started to say before North held up a finger.

"He knows that only way to enter their special world is by hanging on to them," he murmured, feeling worried and sorry for you and Jack.

"And that is _exactly_ what he did," Bunnymund added, speaking up for the first time.

Little did you know that in your confusion, Pitch had grabbed on to your shoulder the minute the room had started going white.

_It will start tearing you apart—from the inside out._

* * *

"Okay, now what is it you were so anxious to tell me?" you asked Jack the second you landed in the World of Whiteness.

He smirked slyly, suddenly gaining a lot of confidence. "Hold on, let me take you to the Ice Palace first; since we are currently—if I'm not mistaken—in my room at North's workshop."

"Alright, know how to get there from here, Mister Smarty-Pants?" you replied, returning the smirk.

"Hey, hey, you're the scientist here," he laughed, holding your hand in his and starting to walk in one direction. "Hold on, something doesn't feel right," he muttered, frowning and now completely serious; stopping in his tracks and causing you to stumble.

Somehow, in someway; the World of Whiteness seemed to turn gray, carrying along the feeling of fear with it.

"Oh no, not now, not now; please not now!" Jack mumbled under his breath, throwing you protectively behind his back.

"What's going on?" you whispered in his ear, starting the feel the fear rising in your heart. You hugged Jack tightly from behind, thinking; _Oh no, not this again… I don't like this feeling at _all_._

"We need to get out of here," he whispered urgently, suddenly wishing that he _didn't_ leave his staff in the opposite pole of this hard-to-travel-in-without-getting-lost world.

"Looking for something?" the unmistakable voice of Pitch Black sneered, appearing out of nowhere behind you two.

Jack swerved around so fast it made your head dizzy as you clutched on to him from behind. You gasped when you saw what Pitch was holding—Jack's staff and your sketchbook.

"Give them back," Jack growled at the dark man, so easy to spot now since he is wearing all black in the middle of a freakin' _white_ world.

"Alright," Pitch replied, surprising you and Jack alike.

Pitch Black—the King of Nightmares— _never_ went down without a fight.

The Boogeyman tossed Jack's staff over to him, and Jack caught it with ease; grateful to have his precious staff back.

"I had no need for that useless stick anyways," Pitch retorted, holding his head high; reminding you a lot about how Lindsay Baker would act when she had to give something up—if that ever even happened to someone like her. "It only answers to you, Jack; and besides, the staff doesn't wield enough power for my taste anyway. Ice and snow… by itself, it's just, _bleah_."

"Why do you care anyways?" Jack spat, using one hand to hold his staff out threateningly to Pitch and the other to keep you close to him. "Jamie would always believe in us no matter what; and that gives us enough power to defeat you, you know that."

"I want revenge! That's why!" Pitch screamed, still holding onto your sketchbook. "You, Jack! You! If it wasn't for your bloody change of conscious I would've ruled the world!" He dropped his voice to softer tone, seeming to pet your sketchbook like it was a dear animal to him. "You know, the offer's still open, Jack."

You felt the tension rise in Jack as his grip loosened on his staff. "You already know my answer, Pitch," he growled, taking a step back to keep a distance between Pitch and you two.

"Oh, but I have another one to make, Jack," he said tauntingly, your sketchbook dangling from his fingers. "You have been known to make a mess of things, and you don't want to be doing that _now_, though, do we? Not with someone as precious as _her_ in danger of being gone _forever_."

Your eyes widened as both your and Jack's breathing quickened. "You _wouldn't_," he whispered, his courageous valor gone as fear took over.

"Oh, but I _would_, Jack," Pitch returned, a sly smirk on his triangular face. "Being the King of Nightmares comes with cunningness, and you have shown to contain quite a lot of it. My, you would be the _perfect_ addition to my band of Fearlings. So, here is my new offer, Jack. Join me, and I would _never_ seek revenge against the Guardians again."

"How would we know that you would _keep_ that promise though, eh; wise guy?" Jack retorted, some of his bravery returning.

"Oh, just like this," he said slyly, waving a strand of black nightmare sand around in the air. "If you join me, the girl lives. If not, she'll _die_ and join me as my newest _addition_. Wouldn't it be nice, Jack? Having to fight and potentially _kill_ someone you loved?"

You let go of Jack and stormed towards Pitch, ignoring Jack's cries to stay away. "You are playing a very dangerous game, mister. Threatening my _life_ just to get another little Fearling! I mean, come on! How much is either of us going to help you anyways?!"

"Hey!" Jack shouted, slightly offended.

You giggled, turning around to give Jack a grin. "Sorry, hon," you apologized before turning back around to face Pitch with your _own_ angry threats. "Seriously, man, like; _dude_. A fly-away winter spirit and a schoolgirl mortal are going to _help_ you take over the _world_."

Pitch chuckled darkly, still holding onto your sketchbook. "Silly, silly, silly girl. Clearly, you haven't spent more than a day inside the immortal world. Jack's ice and my nightmares combined can make something so _unique_, so _powerful_; that _anybody_ would want to bow down to me afterwards. Let me demonstrate…" With that and another dark smirk on his face, he conjured up a large wave of black sand and pushed it directly towards, well; _you_.

"NO!" Jack yelled, coming up from behind you and creating an ice wave equal in power to Pitch's sand. The force of the collision pushed you backwards, causing you to land on your bottom hard. "Don't. Touch. Her," he threatened, stressing the words by stopping to breath in-between.

Pitch laughed loudly, his silk-like voice vibrating in your ears as you stood back up. "That's exactly what I wanted you to do, Jack," he responded confidently. "Acting on your emotions… That's something we're going to have to fix."

"The answer's no, Pitch," Jack stated, his ice-blue eyes as cold and hard as the thick ice of a frozen lake. "N-O, no. Understand?"

"Tut, tut," Pitch tsked, tapping his lanky fingers on your sketchbook. "Wrong answer, Frost. Now you'll just have to _deal_ with the consequences." He snapped his fingers once and Jack gave a yelp, you swirling around to see what was wrong.

"Jack!" you screamed as he fell down a dark hole in the ground, his arms up in the air in surprise. You fell down to catch his arm, but the hole closed up, returning to the original and very _solid_ white ground. You pounded on the ground, shouting his name repeatedly, just hoping he would resurface and say that this was all a joke.

Pitch snickered from behind you, slowly walking up to you and bending down to be at your level. "He's home now, honey, he's in a better place," he whispered, putting on the act of being a beloved family member.

"Shut up!" you screamed at the dark man, jerking around to smack him in the face. "Where'd you send him? And don't talk to me like that!"

Pitch groaned, rubbing the side of his face gently. "Oh, feisty little one, aren't you?" he complained, standing back up. "Where I sent him is none of your business, just that he's only going to be living like I have for the last few hundred years. _Underground._ In the cold, dark cavern with only the shadows to keep him company. Cramped, alone, and scared to the _death_.

"Scared so much that he'll resort to fear itself to keep him going, to fill in the hole where a child's belief should be stored. He'll be weak; and seeking for someone with power. And when he is coldly rejected, he'll come begging to me to join forces with me, to be believed in again; to have _hope_ that someone out there cares for him, that someone will be there for him when he needs them most."

Your eyes widened as the power of the Boogeyman's words sunk into your head.

He was describing his _own_ experiences, his _own_ feelings.

The poor guy had no one to come home to, except his Nightmares. No one to care for him, to show him their love for him; as awkward as that sounds, seeing as this very man stalked young children in their sleep just to satisfy his thirst for their fear.

Then you saw him leafing through your sketchbook like he owned it, smiling and laughing at your drawings.

You immediately mentally smacked yourself for actually _caring_ for the man.

"So adorable, these drawings," he murmured, looking down to smirk at you. "So filled with hope, and wonder. Oh, look; even memories and dreams! You really do care for that foolish boy, don't you?"

"Get out of there, that's private," you snarled, standing up and trying to snatch your book back.

He laughed, lifting the book high out of your reach, still leafing through the pages. "Apparently not, since you let that _winter_ _spirit_ of yours draw his own little pictures in here. So cute, he must really love you."

You froze, staring at Pitch incredulously.

He chuckled under his breath. "But he never told you, now did he?"

You stood in place, your heart burning in anger. "What gives you the right to say that?"

"Now, now, don't hide from the truth, little one. I'm only here to help."

"No! No, you are not! You're making everything worse! What are you going to do next, kill off my _mother_?" you shouted, waving your arms around for exaggeration.

"Woah, woah, turn off the fire, girl; I'm just here for one thing and one thing only," Pitch resigned, putting his hands up in the air, waving your sketchbook around like it was a toy enticing a cat to chase after it.

"Well, what is it then? Get to the point, Pitch! I ain't fooling around any longer!"

"See this, mortal one?" he asked, pointing to a large and very scary looking ice sculpture, black nightmare sand frozen inside blue ice; spikes sticking out and threatening to harm anyone who touched them.

You nodded, giving Pitch a strange look. "This is what Jack's ice and my sand can do. I've said so myself before, what goes together better than cold and dark?"

"Christmas and snow, for one," you replied, actually taking the Boogeyman by surprise.

Guess he didn't really expect for a reply.

"Flowers and Easter for another," you continued, counting off the list on your fingers. "A sandy beach and warm sunshine, steak and shrimp are _excellent_ together, a girl and her shoes for another—"

"Alright! Alright! Enough!" Pitch interrupted, nightmare sand dripping from his fingers.

You giggled, surprised that you were actually having fun even though you were practically standing at gunpoint with possibly the most dangerous man who ever lived. "Besides, how's a little piece of artwork like that going to harm anybody?" you added, pointing to the spiky ice sculpture. "_Oh! Oh my gosh! It's got me! Save me before the beauty destroys my life forever! Ah, oh my, catch me; I'm fainting!_" you feigned a faint with a slight smirk on your face at the theatric display you just put on.

"Haha, very funny; I'm laughing my butt off," Pitch said sarcastically, frowning and rolling his eyes. "No, what I mean to demonstrate is the _creativity_ of the object your boyfriend and I can create. I'm sure you know a lot about that, mortal one."

Your laughter died away, looking at Pitch seriously. "Know a lot about what?"

"Creativity, _obviously_. It's practically leaking right out of your sketchbook here; everything from hope to fun, wonder to dreams; even some of your memories! You know, the only thing you're lacking is a touch of _fear_."

"Yeah, well, I don't need any of that in my drawings when I have _you_ right in front of me," you commented, crossing your arms across your chest.

"Why? You scared of me little one?" he smirked, dangling your sketchbook in front of your face to tease you.

You stayed put, not daring to move in case he really _wanted_ you to make a move. "No," you stated simply, smiling at him confidently. "The only fear I have is fear of fear itself. Try to figure that one out, triangle-head."

"What?" Pitch repeated slowly, staring at you like you were crazy.

You giggled. "I would've called you blockhead but your head is kind of shaped like a triangle so that wouldn't be quite as accurate of a statement."

"Oh, you little—"

"Watch it, smart-aleck," you cut in, running up to him and pointing a finger at his face. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Yeah, you are," he replied coolly, like he knew something you didn't.

"Na-ah, I'm not," you repeated stubbornly, stamping your feet and crossing your arms again.

"Yes, you are; little one. Remember, I can sense your fears, and I'm one of them."

"Yeah, well, yeah; prove it to me you big turkey!" you yelled at him, punching him in the chest and reaching for your sketchbook.

"Na-ah," he taunted, waving your sketchbook out of your reach again. "No touchy-touchy!"

"I—said—give it back!" you screamed, jumping up and grabbing at your sketchbook.

"Not until you join me as one of my Fearlings or until you leave Jack behind forever!" Pitch threatened, constantly keeping your sketchbook out of reach.

"Never," you answered darkly, stopping your jumping around to give Pitch a stern look.

"Oh, very well, then. I guess I'll just have to do it myself," he whispered in a cunning voice, giving you the most evil smirk yet. He opened your sketchbook and waved some nightmare sand tauntingly in front of Jack's drawing.

"No," you whispered, now completely frightened of what he was about to do.

Any closer…

* * *

"I—just—got—to—get—out of here!" Jack yelled, smacking the wall with his fists in-between words.

He was trapped… no windows, no air holes, nothing.

Just he and his staff inside a very small, very dark, and very scary cavern.

He really couldn't move, and his head just barely missed the ceiling when he did.

"It's just my luck," he muttered angrily, stamping his bare foot against the cold ground in anger. He hissed in pain, freezing the wall across from him in response. "Sweet Man in Moon, why is it always me? And _right_ before I was going to cross a _huge_ milestone in my _entire_ immortal life?!"

He exhaled sharply, leaning against the wall and dragging himself down to the floor.

"Stupid Pitch," he cursed, stabbing the wall with his staff once more, watching the white frost spread across it; its pine-like features comforting him a little.

A sharp pain stabbed him in his temple, causing him to groan and curse loudly.

_You never told her you loved her…_ a sinister voice spoke in his head, but he didn't realize it as he was pointing his staff threateningly at every shadow in the cavern, still lying on the floor; his head throbbing.

_You never told her how much you cared…_

"What the—?" he muttered, still wondering where the voice was coming from.

A white light flashed across his eyes as another sharp pain buried itself in his head.

"Ow! Oh, holy—" he cried out, holding his head together as if it was about to explode.

_She'll be so much happier without you…_

An image flashed across his mind before another wave of pain took over.

He yelled out, feeling like he was falling, falling down a never-ending hole; but in reality was still sitting in the cavern, holding his head together in the fear that if he let go, everything would just splash apart in his hands.

He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth to stop his shouting out.

* * *

_The doorbell rang._

_Jack opened his eyes to see where he was._

_He was in a house, a very nice house; warm and cozy—something he would rather live without—like it belonged to a very happy young family._

_"Coming!" a female voice shouted, sounding like she was behind Jack._

_Jack widened his eyes._

_That voice._

_He knew that voice._

_The girl that belonged to the voice walked out from behind him, looking like she was at least in her mid-twenties._

_His jaw dropped when he saw who it was._

_"(F/N)," he whispered, reaching out to her; hoping she would hear him._

_If she did, she didn't show it as she opened the door; revealing a man slightly older than her on the other side._

_"Ethan!" she shouted, her arms open wide in surprise. "So happy to see you! How have you been? Come in, come in," she greeted, giving the man a hug and stepping aside to let him in._

_"Ethan?!" Jack shouted, not being able to help the small bit of jealousy he was feeling as he looked the guy over._

_He was tall, so much taller than Jack ever thought and hoped he could've been; with swooping midnight black hair reaching down just below his chin, his bangs covering his eyebrows and highlighting the bright blue eyes beneath. He was also very muscular, like he could break Jack apart just by shaking his hand._

_"He'lo, (F/N)," he returned the greeting to the girl, his voice deep with a thick English accent coating it. "I've been well, how 'bout you; m'lady?"_

_The girl giggled sweetly, the kind of laughter Jack so loved to hear when he cracked a joke or pulled a prank on Bunnymund. "Swell, especially now that you're here," she replied, taking Ethan's hand and leading him through the house._

_Anger rose in Jack's chest, hating to see his girlfriend with another man._

_"Oo, I like the sound of that," Ethan said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "So, did you have anything planned today, (F/N)?"_

_"Oh, just something very, very special, Ethan. I promise you're going to love it," she responded flirtatiously, a slight skip in her step._

_"Hey, (F/N), do you mind giving me an introduction here?" Jack asked, irritated that he was in plain sight and was being ignored anyways._

_She didn't hear him, in fact; she and Ethan walked right through Jack, turning the corner and disappearing from view._

_He put a hand to his chest, breathing heavily and calming a little when he felt his heart beat._

_Okay, he was solid; she just didn't believe anymore._

_"(F/N)!" he called out again, knowing perfectly well that it was no use as he ran around the corner and followed their voices up the stairs. "(F/N)!" he stopped at the top of the stairs and listened, getting silence in reply._

_Then he heard something._

_Like a laugh, sweet and happy; though a bit muffled._

_He tentatively put his hand on the door handle beside him; taking a second to debate whether or not he wanted to open it._

_He gave in on the notion that he wouldn't be seen anyways and opened the door an inch just to take a quick peek._

_Jack shut it quickly, covering his eyes with his hands and leaning against the door._

_He _did not_ want to see _that_._

_Tears threatening to fall, Jack ran back down the stairs and raced for the door._

_Maybe someone will see him and tell him exactly where he was._

_Because he _knew_ this wasn't the universe he was living in._

_He tripped over the door step, tumbling down the porch stairs and landing in a heap on the grass._

_"Holy, that _hurt_," he muttered, standing up and acting like he _didn't_ just fall out of a house and lay in the grass like a demented person._

_He stuffed his hand into his pocket and walked down the sidewalk, not giving a second glance to the house he just came out of._

_He looked up and grinned when he saw a kid no older than six running around a park before him._

_He walked up to the little boy and asked politely, "Hey, kid, do you mind telling me where I am?"_

_The boy didn't seem to hear him as he continued running around in a circle, pretending he was an airplane. One of his arms sliced through Jack's stomach, breaking Jack's heart._

_Normally kids of that age believed in him ever since he became a Guardian._

_He sighed._

_Where was he?_

_How did he get here?_

_How did he manage to lose _everything_?_

_And just like that, blackness engulfed his vision as he fell into a dark hole; screaming out with no one around to hear his cry._

* * *

Jack opened his eyes with a start, dropping his hands from his head; his staff clattering to the floor beside him.

_Like what you saw?_ the dark voice asked smoothly in his head, causing Jack to frown and smack the ground.

"Stop it, Pitch!" he shouted, standing up and nearly banging his head on the ceiling. "I know it's you!"

_See how happy she was without you? _the voice continued, the honeysuckle dripping from it; annoying Jack to his wit's end. _The life she lives, with the love of another man?_

Jack moaned angrily, nearly ripping his hair out of his head. "I said—Stop it!"

_She left you, Jack; and she never regretted it. Her life is better without you, happier without you; _safer_ without you._

Jack froze everything around him without his staff even in his hand. "Don't you say it!" he cried, clenching and unclenching his fists.

_Join me, Jack; give your sorrows and pain to me, and I will set you free. Free from all the pain and hurt love brings with it, free from rules and consequences; free from everything that hurts you. Join me, and you would be happy too. Join me, and everyone would believe in you—for who you are._

"Oh, is this what it's all about? Huh, Pitch? Is this what it's all about?" Jack shouted angrily, picking up his staff again. "My answer remains the same—because I will get out of here and I _will_ save (F/N) from your evil hands! You may win, Pitch; but you will never conquer!"

He looked around himself, checking for cracks or tiny holes that he could freeze wider and escape out of.

He caught a glimpse of his bracelet, and it all clicked together in his head.

"_To keep the other near…_" he whispered, a small smile on his face. "Thanks Manny!" he shouted to the moon he couldn't see, hesitating for a second to remember which one brought him to you.

He gave a cheer of triumph when he remembered and eagerly pressed the rainbow paintbrush on his bracelet.

And in a flash, he was out.

* * *

**Author's Note: Woah, this took an unexpected turn here... Yeah, I was going to have this chapter even longer and include the scene you guys are now all anxiously waiting for but I found the perfect cut-off and it probably would've been _too_ long if I included it, so, yeah. A huge thank you to all of the reviews and everything guys! Haha, they really made me laugh. I'll respond to a few because they were so funny.**

**FrozenGamer27: Haha, my sister and I counted how many times you said IT'S A RING-I got 84 and she got 86 so I'm averaging it out that you said it 85 times. XD Wow, I'm surprised there wasn't any typos either, I would've had, like, a gazillion. XD**

**PhantomSweeney13: Well, it looks like you'll be smacking Pitch into oblivion... XD I read that and I already had in mind what was going to happen in this chapter and I'm like, well; she either has physic powers or what but either way-he's getting smacked into oblivion.**

**Addie: I know this was for Chapter 21 but, yeah! R5 is A-MAZ-ING! I love "Say You'll Stay" so much, which is way I ended up adding it into the story... ;)**

**Guest: About your suggestion... um, the only reason I keep running out of computer time, which I'm running on overtime right now; is because I type it on Word. And my super long author's notes don't help much either... but yeah! Thanks anyways! Freeze on! XD**

**And to RoseZemlya'sFavoritefan, Xion5, , JackFrostlovr21, kittyzwuvme1234, prime -lover 13, nellie, LittleRedRiddingWolf, and KuramixMidnight; all your reviews were pretty much the same in context but I love them all and thank you for your support and shock about what is in the box! I mean, I thought it was super obvious, but I guess not! Hehe, lol XD Oh, well. That's about all I have to say I believe and I'm really eating up my time now, so; got to go! :P Good bye-bye! **


	28. Marry Me

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update guys! I was at a college prep program so I was away from home for four days and I don't have a laptop and I didn't bring my flashdrive with me anyways and the Wi-Fi connection was really sucky even if I had all that stuff. Plus, I was so busy doing so much stuff and making friends that I wouldn't of had time to write anyways! So, yeah, sorry 'bout that. So, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! I don't own the Band Perry's song "DONE." or Train's "Marry Me" for those people that nitpick about copyrights. XD Yeah, "DONE." got inserted in there on accident... XD Well, I don't have too much time now, so; I'm gonna leave this off with the fact that I wrote a little Homicide Detective Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons AU one-shot that I have up and posted and plenty more Big Four ideas coming up, if any of you are into that. The one I have posted is titled "Freeze", just because my sister gave me the idea of Jack saying that and literally freezing someone. XD So, anyways, back to this story. Something dramatic is about to happen! Oo! What is it? Y'all find out soon enough. ;) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

28-Marry Me

Before his eyes you were standing stock still before Pitch Black, the Boogeyman doing something he couldn't see.

"Don't fight the fear, mortal one," Pitch taunted, causing Jack to growl inwardly and lift his staff up. "Besides, it's only a little _drawing_. How much can a piece of artwork harm you?"

"Drop it, Pitch," you scolded, starting to put on the whole motherly act. "Drop it or you're going to be wishing you chose another name aside from the Boogeyman; because your nose is going to be so broken, snot is going to be sticking out of it."

Jack smiled proudly, happy that you were sticking up to Pitch. "Nicely played, (F/N)," he whispered, trying to keep out of Pitch's sight.

"Really?" Pitch retorted, the nightmare sand drifting away from the sketchbook as his attention drew away from it. "Like a little mortal girl like _you_ are going to stop me?"

You snorted, keeping on the stern mother act. "You said it, little dude; not me. Besides, I thought you wanted me on your side? But, seeing as you see of me as no use; I guess you didn't want me so bad, now; did you? Now hand it over."

"No, you can't tell me what to do; you perishable fiasco of a girl!" he shouted, the nightmare sand completely dissolved and harmlessly away from your sketchbook.

"Really, well, this _fiasco of a girl_," you began, glaring at the tall man before you. "Is _going to hit you hard 'till you stars, I'm gonna put through a world of hurt_."

The Boogeyman gave you a weird look as Jack laughed silently from afar, your singing throwing Pitch off.

"_Well, I don't believe in getting even, but in getting what you deserve_," you continued, grinning as you saw the King of Nightmares himself appear frightened. "_Oh my! Oh my! Uh! Mama always told me that I should play nice, but she didn't know you when she gave me that advice, I'm through, with you! You're one bridge I'd like to burn, bottle up the ashes, smash the urn! I'm through, with you! LA DEE DA, LA DEE DA! I don't wanna be your just for fun, I don't wanna be under your thumb, all I wanna be is DONE._"

"What _are _you _doing_ you foolish girl?!" Pitch shouted, backing away from you as you finished the chorus.

"Oh, just taking this," you replied coolly, reaching up and taking your sketchbook out of his hands. "Thank you!" you added politely, giving him a big smile.

"Oh, you little—" Pitch started before a wave of ice rushed past his face.

"Well, sorry to crash your party, Pitch; but I believe it's time for me to join in," Jack intervened swiftly, smirking at the startled man and wrapping an arm around your shoulder casually. "Now, if you will excuse me; (F/N) and I have duties we have to attend to, so; good day!" He grabbed your bracelet hand, and before either of you had time to speak; the world flashed and you disappeared from the World of Whiteness.

* * *

You opened your eyes to find yourself in Jack's arms, up high in the mountains of the North.

The first thing you did was smile and stare at the view before you, but then you realized that _Jack_ was _holding_ you; up high in the mountains of the North.

"Jack!" you screamed, startling the poor boy as he put you down. "You're alive!" You gave him a huge bear hug, burying your face in the crook of his neck.

"Uh, of course I'm alive!" Jack responded, sounding very confused as he hugged you back. "What did you think I was? A snowman?"

"No," you giggled, releasing him from your grip to give him a big smile. "Even though you _are_ a snowman of some sorts."

"Hey—" Jack started before you cut him off with a passionate kiss. When you pulled away, Jack smiled and added, "I guess I could get used to the name."

You laughed, poking him in the chest playfully. "Well, what was that thing you were so anxious to tell me before?"

Jack had a clouded look on his face, like he didn't know what you were asking about. Then his eyes lit up and he blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, right; yeah. Hold on, close your eyes and turn around."

"Why?" you asked curiously, folding your hands and looking as innocent as possible.

He chuckled, rolling his ice-blue eyes. "Just do as I say, princess."

"Alright," you replied, closing your eyes and turning around; listening intently to try and guess what he was doing.

Music started to play, the same melodic strumming of the ice guitar he created back in the World of Whiteness.

You opened your eyes slightly to peek, smiling when you saw Jack standing in front of you, strumming that guitar made out of ice. You opened your eyes all the way and watched as he opened his mouth to begin singing; leaving you not knowing what to expect.

_Forever can never be long enough for me  
To feel like I've had long enough with you  
Forget the world now, we won't let them see  
But there's one thing left to do_

_Now that the weight has lifted_  
_Love has surely shifted my way_

_Marry me_  
_Today and every day_  
_Marry me_  
_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_

_Together can never be close enough for me_  
_To feel like I am close enough to you_  
_You wear white and I'll wear out the words "I love you"_  
_And you're beautiful_

_Now that the wait is over_  
_And love has finally shown her my way_

_Marry me_  
_Today and every day_  
_Marry me_  
_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_

_Promise me_  
_You'll always be_  
_Happy by my side_  
_I promise to_  
_Sing to you_  
_When all the music dies_

_And marry me_  
_Today and everyday_  
_Marry me_  
_If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_  
_Say you will_  
_Mm-hmm_

_Marry me_  
_Mm-hmm_

You honestly couldn't keep the tears in that were spilling out of your eyes, covering your mouth with your hands.

"(F/N)?" Jack asked, putting the guitar down and pulling a small box out of his pocket. "Will you, uh; be mine? Forever and ever and ever?"

You giggled lightly, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Yes," you whispered, hiding your face in his jacket and laughing when you felt Jack fumbling to put the ring on your finger as you pulled away.

He exhaled sharply as you stared at the ring on your finger, a simple silver ring with a small clear diamond in the center.

"That was easier than I expected," Jack breathed, causing you to laugh harder.

"Oh, Jack; only you," you cried, hugging him again. You pecked him on the cheek before sitting down in the snow, not caring that it was soaking through the pajama pants you were still wearing.

He plopped down next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and kissing you on the cheek. The dark sky of the North Pole and the fact that it was at least past eight o'clock made you sleepy and you yawned, leaning your head into Jack's shoulder. Jack shifted so he was leaning against the mountainside, laying his own head on top of yours. You closed your eyes, hand laid on top of your sketchbook protectively. Jack's breathing slowed, and so did yours; before the world around you disappeared and you fell asleep.

However, as you were sleeping; the moon rose high up into the sky, the Man in Moon seeming to smile down on the two of you. He focused the light beam on your left hand, which was laying on top of your sketchbook. Blue light encased the ring on your hand, turning the gem a cerluean blue. Amber sparkles waived around and over your sketchbook, slowly transforming it.

And in your sleep, you transformed; with your sketchbook now a large, magical paintbrush.

Only you didn't know that just yet.


	29. Death and Memories

**Starting Over**

29-Death and Memories

Light entered through your eyelids as you slipped back into consciousness. You blinked and sat up, opening your eyes all the way to gather in your surroundings.

You were still in the North Pole, with Jack—which, now that you realized as you quickly glanced at your left hand; was now your fiancé—sleeping peacefully beside you.

Your hand wrapped around something wooden, and—for a second—you thought it was Jack's staff.

Then you saw that he was still holding his staff so you looked down at your hand to see what it was.

You gasped in shock.

You didn't remember taking a paintbrush with you when you left the house yesterday morning.

You also knew that none of your paintbrushes sparkled with amber magic when you waved it around.

_Where did it come from?_

_And where did my sketchbook go? I could've swore I had it…_

"Morning, princ-ah!" Jack started sleepily, but ended in a shout of surprise when he looked at you. "Who are you and what have you done with (F/N)?"

You looked at Jack skeptically, wondering exactly what his problem was. "Uh, Jack; I'm still me," you replied, cocking an eyebrow. "I'm still (F/N)."

He still had on that startled look as he sat up and ran a hand through your hair, which you then realized wasn't really _your_ hair; because instead of your normal (h/l) (h/c) hair, it was long, chocolate brown hair that reached down to the middle of your back.

"Well, that's odd," you mumbled, reaching for a lock of your own hair to stare at it.

"Yeah, talk about odd, (F/N); because everything about you has changed!" Jack shouted, throwing his hands up into the air.

"What do you mean?" you asked, dropping the lock of hair and beginning to turn the paintbrush around in your hand.

"Uh, I mean you've become an immortal (F/N)," Jack stated, not believing what he had just said. "Either that or you snuck out on me to have plastic surgery done."

You giggled at Jack's little sidenote before becoming serious again. "I'm an—I'm an immortal?"

He nodded vigorously, and quickly formed a tiny little mirror out of ice for you to take a look at yourself.

You gasped, covering your mouth with your hand.

You knew you were staring at you, because you could feel your heart beating and the blood rushing through your veins; but it sure didn't _look_ like you.

Well, for the most part; actually.

The only thing really different about you was the hair and your eyes now a dark brown with small hints of hazel near the pupil.

Oh, and the fact that your comfortable pajamas were gone and exchanged for an odd set of clothing made out of orange leaves.

"My question is, _how_?" Jack spoke, interrupting your admiring of your new self.

You shrugged, putting down the mirror and picking up the paintbrush again.

"You didn't die," Jack continued, now seeming to be talking to himself. "At least, not that I know of. And your memories are still intact; seeming that you recognized me. Yet, yet… no one just _changes_ like that out of nowhere!"

An idea struck your mind as you dropped the paintbrush into the snow. "Wait, tell me how you became an immortal again; Jack."

He stopped muttering to himself to look at you. "Why?" he asked simply, looking just as lost as you felt.

"Because, I told you so," you replied, smirking at him.

"Well, I, uh; took my little sister ice-skating and the ice was too thin… She was going to fall so I took my staff—which was just a random stick back then that just happened to be on the ice when I needed it—and swung her away from it and I fell in instead. Then, after my mortal self died; the moon shown down brightly upon me and seemed to lift me out of the water, like it was waking me from a long, relaxing nap."

"And what about the other Guardians?" you asked, leaning towards Jack anxiously; the idea you have burning a hole in your head. "They all had mortal lives before Guardianship, right?"

Jack nodded, not knowing quite what you were getting at. "Yeah, just that they didn't die."

"You're the only immortal to have actually _experienced_ death, right?" you continued interrogating him; the bitter coldness of the North Pole surprisingly not affecting you as much as it should've been, despite that you were only covered in one layer of thin, autumn leaves.

"Well, no; Sandy was dead for a while…" he mumbled, sitting back into the mountainside and laying his staff down in the snow beside him.

Your shook your head. "Doesn't count, he was already an immortal when that happened. So, you were the only spirit to have died… What about the others? Do they still have their mortal memories?"

"As far as I'm concerned, yeah."

You shut up and leaned back into Jack's chest, thinking the information over in your head. When it clicked together, you jumped up into the air and landed in the snow again, bare feet sinking into the white fluff.

"You died!" you shouted, pointing at Jack excitedly.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me; I seemed to have forgotten that," Jack muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"No, no; you don't get it," you continued in an excited manner. "You _died_."

"Yeah, no; I still don't get it," he repeated, crossing his arms.

"You know what happens when people die, right?"

"Uh, they fall into a hole of blackness and soar up into a white light?"

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. "No, everything inside them _dies_. Heart, bones, muscle; even the _brain_."

"Your point?" Jack stretched, not seeing where you were heading with this.

You exhaled sharply, shaking your head. "My point is… you _died_. Your mortal brain is dead. Gone. And when your brain died; everything it knew died along with it—how to make your heart beat, breathing, moving your body; including your memories. Dead. Wiped off from the face of the Earth. That's why when you first rose out of that lake 300 years ago you didn't have a clue of who you were or why you were here. Because everything you did know simply _died_ along with your mortal self."

Several different emotions crossed Jack's face before he decided to leave it as surprised. "Oh, wow… So, that's how it happened…"

You nodded triumphantly, crossing your arms over your leaf shirt.

"You're an immortal now," he whispered, looking down at his hands. "You're an immortal now!" he shouted, standing up and running towards you; giving you a big hug. "That means you won't die on me!"

You laughed, having trouble breathing because he was hugging you so tight. "Yeah, I'm no longer a mortal…"

The second that word left your lips an amber light flashed before you, Jack jumping away in shock.

The light dispersed and Jack surpressed a shout, stumbling backwards into the mountainside.

You gave Jack an odd look, wondering why he was hyperventilating and staring at you like you were a ghost. "What?" you asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

Jack waited until he caught his breath, then choked out, "We're going to have to pay a visit to North."

* * *

**Author's Note: Alrighty, my dad just told me to get off so I have to make a short note and I'll reply to reviews later (maybe I'll do an edit) but, wow! 21 reviews just for one chapter! :O Thank you, thank you, thank you soooooo much! :D It makes me so happy reading them all! Haha, I love all you guys (not in that way of course XD you know what I mean) So, yeah; I hope this chapter answers some questions but I definitely know it'll raise some more! Like, what just happened to you? :O I know, but; you'll have to wait... Sorry 'bout that... :) Alright, gotta go; so bye-bye!**


	30. Two Lives, One Girl

**Author's Note: Oh my gosh... Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry for the super late update! And with a cliff hanger like that... OMG, I'm just so sorry! It's just that things have been so busy what with taking Health class over the summer to get it done and swimming camp and the musical I'm in (we already had two shows so far, four more to go :P) and yeah... Sowwies! *makes adorable kitty face* Hehe, I'm obsessed with cats, got four of them at home. XD Anyways, that was random and for a heads up, a little bit of my rambling self shows through in Jack because he ended up writing like a humungous paragraph for the diary entry... XD Silly Jack... So, yeah; this chapter should be interesting... Especially since I accidentally on purpose made a Paul McCartney reference (which I am listening to right now XD) and he's my favorite Beatle and all... Okay, that's not really why this chapter is interesting but I had to say that. XD Okay, I'm going to stop now so you could get to reading and I could get to writing Chapter 31! And editing this music video I decided to create. It's a Jack Frost version for Hunter Hayes' song "All You Ever". :P Alrighty, I'm done. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Starting Over**

30-Two Lives, One Girl

_Day 9_

_December 18th_

_Ok—ay then… I wake up this morning to find my fianceé changed into a totally different being and then she goes and switches back on me! Like, how the hell? Am I seeing things? So, I took her back to North's workshop since it was the closest to where we were and have him help us figure out what just happened. Oh, and by the way; she figured out the reason behind why I lost my human memories 300 years ago! Yay! Well, I don't exactly have _all_ my memories back—I don't think that'll ever truly happen—but I know why I don't remember them now! And since (F/N)'s an immortal now—I think—I don't have to worry about her losing her memories! Phew! Because that would be _so_ awkward if she died and lost them because when she would've been reborn she would've been like "Who the heck are you?" And I'd just be like, uh; I'm kind of your future husband… Yeah, major awkward moment right there. So, yeah; good thing that didn't happen. And I kind of talked a lot about stuff that doesn't pertain to (F/N)'s memories and _a lot_ of stuff happened yesterday so here it goes—she woke up and found out that Pitch is indeed real and she won't not believe in him and North gives us a prophecy that she may be in possible danger by him and we had another mini snowball war and then she found out the hidden purpose behind the World of Whiteness—which apparently to her it's a blank canvas for practically anything—and then we accidentally teleported out of there in this heated romantic session and ended up in the living room of our new house—yeah, that's right; a _house_—and took a tour around that in which North practically told me what was inside the little box he gave me earlier that morning which was the engagement ring that is now on her finger so then I decided to go and propse to her in the same place where I asked her out which was in the World of Whiteness but evil Pitch followed us there and ruined _everything_. He did that little mind-game thing again and sent me down a hole away from (F/N) and I don't know what she did to deal with Pitch—I just hope nothing too fatal happened between them—but I kept getting weird visions of an alternate universe without (F/N) in my life which angered and scared me so much that I nearly cried—and I don't cry often—but I finally got out of the cavern and watched (F/N) has she scared the King of Nightmares himself just by _singing_—haha, that was _hilarious_—which made me so proud of her and once she got her sketchbook back we teleported out of there up to the mountains in the North where I finally got the chance to propose to her and she said yes and I was so happy I could've died again right there with happiness and then we fell asleep and when we woke up; she was changed into a different being and that's about all that had happened… Which is quite a lot for a twenty-four hour period I realize… But, oh well; just doing the job Manny assigned to me! Alright, I think that's about everything so I'll stop now and figure out exactly _what_ is going on with (F/N)…_

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost_

"(F/N)! Oh my gosh! You're alright! I was so worried about you! With Pitch coming along with you guys and us not being there to protect you from harm and everything, oh; it's a miracle! So, how did it go? Did it happen? Are you a soon-to-be-bride?" Tooth rambled on and on as she tackled you into an emotional hug, slowing her fluttering wings to keep you from flying off the ground.

You laughed, moving your hair out of your face to get a good look at the multi-colored fairy. "Yes, yes, yes; I'm alright, Tooth. We took care of him, and yes! I'm engaged! As odd as that sounds coming out of my mouth since I'm not even finished with high school yet!" you replied, looking around to make sure Jack wasn't around to overhear you talking with Tooth.

Tooth screeched excitedly, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh! I'm so happy for you!" She embraced you in another hug when North opened the door.

"(F/N)," he said, stepping inside Tooth's room and ducking to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe. "Jack told me what happened. Come with me to workshop, work things out along the way."

You nodded, letting go of Tooth and following North out of her room.

"So," North began as the doors of his workshop closed and locked behind you, picking up a cookie from the plate the elves were holding. "You were immortal for while, now?"

"Were? I am!" you replied incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm," North hummed, rubbing his beard as he thought deeply. "Jack told me your physical features changed."

"They did! I'm wearing leaves and I have long, brown hair with eyes to match!" you shouted, placing your hands on your hips.

That motion caused you to take your hands off again and stare at them in shock.

Leaves shouldn't feel that _soft_ and _comfortable_.

"Well, if they did; they aren't anymore. You look like mortal self," North concluded, walking over to his desk and sitting in his chair; his weight sending it rolling backwards for a moment.

Your arms fell to your sides as your jaw dropped. "_What_?"

"You look like mortal self," he repeated, eating another cookie. "Cookie?"

You shook your head, crossing your arms. "No thanks, I want to know what you mean by 'look like mortal self'."

"Well, basically speaking; you look just same way you did before you and Jack teleported out of your home in Antarctica." He pushed the plate of cookies away, causing the elves holding it to walk off the edge of the desk and fall to the floor in a mini red heap of elf hats.

You were too preoccupied about if you were immortal or not to laugh at the crazy elves as you placed your hands on North's desk and leaned forward. "But, how?" you repeated, starting to get frustrated. "Last time I saw myself, I didn't look like myself! And how do you explain this paintbrush that randomly appeared in place of my sketchbook?" You lifted up the paintbrush from your pocket, which also caused you to wonder when you had a _pocket_ to put it _in_.

North looked genuinely surprised as he gently took the paintbrush from your hand, turning it over and over in his large hand; examining it as the amber sparkles drifted off and disappeared into thin air. "Well, this certainly changes a few things. Go back to Jack in globe room, other Guardians and I will figure things out."

You crossed your arms again and looked down, and that's when you saw the long sleeves of your pajamas covering your arms that were bare not that long ago. You gave yourself a skeptical look and whatever you were about to say to North; you forgot it as you walked out of his workshop, wondering _what_ happened and what _didn't_ happen to you.

You walked into the globe room to find Jack sitting on the windowsill, drawing pictures in the frost he created on the window. You smiled and ran up to him, jumping onto the windowsill and sitting in front of him.

"Hey," you whispered, startling Jack.

He pulled the hood off his head and smiled at you, putting his hands on your knees. "So, did North figure things out for you? Are you still immortal?"

Your smile faded as you stared into Jack's ice-blue eyes. "I don't know. Apparently I look like my mortal self still and I thought I was immortal."

Another amber light flashed before you, and Jack gasped again; but didn't react quite as badly as he did the first time. "Okay, stop doing this to me; you're freaking me out."

"Doing what?" you asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Changing your looks. You have that brown hair and orange leaf outfit again," he replied, taking his hands of your knees to cross them across his chest.

"What?" you shrilled, sitting back and running your hand through your hair.

Jack nodded, giving you a look that said "you know what I mean".

"What, oh; great golly! Make up your mind you Manny person! What am I supposed to be?" you shouted out the window to the moon shining inside.

"(F/N), (F/N), calm down," Jack whispered, placing his warm hands on your shoulders.

Wait…

Warm?

"North will figure things out soon," he continued as you frowned at the moon. "Maybe this is what is supposed to happen when people transform into immortals without having to die."

"Yeah, and maybe I'm Lady Madonna," you replied sarcastically, rolling your eyes.

Jack giggled and shook his head, white hair flopping back and forth. "Well, then that makes me Paul McCartney."

You couldn't help but laugh; and you realized Jack always had that effect on you.

No wonder he was the Guardian of Fun.

"Well, then; McCartney," you joked, leaning your face closer to Jack's. "Show me what you're made of."

"Alright, m'lady," Jack responded with a perfect impression of a British accent, running his hands through your long hair. "I shall grant your wish."

You giggled before closing your eyes, waiting for Jack's lips to meet yours. You felt them brush yours for a quick moment and you smiled, earning a small chuckle from Jack.

"Save some of those beautiful smiles for _after_ the wedding," he whispered huskily in your ear. "For I'm only just beginning."

Small shivers raced up and down your back, your eyes opening a little to give Jack a flirtatious smirk. Jack tilted his head slightly and leaned in, your eyes closing once more. Jack kissed you, slowly and gently; as if he would break you if he went any faster.

"Crikey, if I ever live past this battle; I don't know what I'd see Frostbite do next," Bunnymund interrupted, causing you to open your eyes quickly and jump apart.

Jack sighed, rolling his eyes. "Knock much?"

Bunnymund returned the motion to Jack. "There ain't anything to knock on here, mate."

"Ah, so Jack was right; her physical features changed," North concluded, rubbing his beard as he stepped forward. "That answers question."

"Um, what question?" you asked, turning around and leaning your back against the window.

Sandy came forward and had an array of images popping above his head, facial expression adding emphasis to what he was trying to say.

You were shocked to find out that you actually _understood_ what he was trying to say. "I'm both?"

Sandy and everyone else looked genuinely surprised; it normally takes an eternity to understand Sandy's language. Nonetheless, he smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"So, I'm mortal; but also immortal?" you repeated, standing up.

Jack laughed, not quite believing it. "That's impossible," he said between laughs. "Nobody could live forever and never die yet still be able to die by human means. It's just, it's just—"

"Surreal?" you finished for him, feeling just as befuddled as he looked.

"Yeah, what she said."

"Man in Moon can make anything possible if he want to," North added, crossing his tattooed arms.

"So, she can die yet she can't?" Jack repeated, he too crossing his arms.

"Generally speaking, yes," he stated, nodding his head.

"How?" you asked, grabbing the paintbrush North held out for you.

"You have bright mind, figure it out," he responded, Sandy doing a hand motion to encourage you.

You frowned, waving your paintbrush a little as you placed it inside a little pouch that hung from your waist. You seemed to be wearing an orange leaf mini-skirt, but it had the leaf leggings underneath so it didn't feel so dressy. Bright amber light followed the motion of your paintbrush, hanging motionless in the air until you turned around; which after that it disappeared as if it never even existed. You turned back around and stared at the empty space in shock, everybody else's faces copying yours.

"Well, that's new," Jack spoke in the silence, reaching out to the space that once had amber light floating there.

"No, duh; Sherlock," you replied sarcastically, smirking a little to try and lighten things up a bit. "It's the newest thing aside from me being both mortal and immortal." Suddenly it dawned on you, why you were the way you were.

It was like this Man in Moon had just dumped the reasoning inside your head.

"It's because I haven't died," you murmured in awe. Everyone looked at you in suspense, Tooth being unnaturally quiet. "I _didn't_ die. I don't know if this was intentional of Manny or not; but the last mortal he immortalized was Jack, right?"

Jack nodded in response, not sure whether to be worried or excited or what not.

"Maybe, just _maybe_; he forgot how to immortalize properly; because Jack also happened to have died."

"I don't think that's very likely," Bunnymund commented, his armored arms crossed across his chest, boomerangs peeking out from under the fur.

"But what if it is?" you questioned, feeling like a true scientist. "Maybe, he forgot to destroy the mortality inside of me, and the immortal soul he tried to inject in me simply _mixed_ in with my mortal soul?"

"I don't believe I follow," Tooth finally spoke up, fluttering over to your side.

"I don't know if I really do either, Tooth. It all seems so unnatural to me, and it doesn't make sense," you replied. You glanced down at your engagement ring, and you realized it was no longer a clear diamond, it was blue. "Well, that's strange."

"Now what?" Jack muttered, exasperated.

"My ring… it's blue," you murmured, moving your hand closer to your face.

"What? No it wasn't!" Jack shouted as he flew over to you and grabbed your hand. "Well, look at that, it is!"

North and the others creeped in closer, North also taking your hand and inspecting the ring.

"It's magic," he whispered, earning a bunch of "what's" from the entourage around him. "Moon magic. It's only answer. Manny must want her still be visible amongst mortals without needing the magic of belief. She must still have job to do on mortal ground."

"This is the oddest case I've seen yet," Tooth commented, flying around you and looking you over. "How does she change between her mortal self and this?"

"I assume just by thinking about it," he replied, unfolding his arms to make a few gestures. "She want to be mortal, just think 'mortal'; and vice versa for immortal."

"Well, test it out then, (F/N)," Bunnymund said to you, waving his arm in your direction.

You frowned, but obeyed nonetheless. You thought about your mortal life, and suddenly; the amber light flashed. You blinked and looked down at yourself, comfortable pajamas covering your body.

Jack yelped and covered his face with his hands. "I seriously hope she doesn't do that often," he complained, sounding quite nervous for something as simple as changing clothes—basically speaking.

"Interesting," North responded, Sandy nodding in agreement. "Now try and return to immortal self."

You did, thinking about your orange leaf outfit and your ability to understand Sandy. Another amber light flashed, and when you looked down; your leaf skirt and leggings covered your legs, magical paintbrush sitting pretty inside your leaf pouch on the side of your hip.

Jack gaped at you, still nervous to walk towards you. "That's amazing," he whispered.

"I know, right?" you replied back, smiling. "Now let's head back home."


	31. Inside Out

**Starting Over**

31-Inside Out

You stood out on the sleigh runway, holding hands with Jack. The other Guardians had left earlier—Tooth muttering something about a twelve-year-old losing his last tooth, Sandy having to deliver dreams, and Bunny just wanted to go home and relax; saying that his head still hurt from when he hit himself in the head with his own boomerang. Several elves stood by the doorway; some waving, some crying, and some kept falling down for some reason.

You giggled as you watched the elves, they were just so adorable. "Time to learn more about my immortal self," you told Jack, waving your sketchbook-now-paintbrush around; amber light hovering in the air and looking as solid as one of the elves.

"You up to it?" Jack asked, making circles on your hand with his thumb.

"Up to what?" you replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"Flying," he said, tilting his head towards the dark sky. "It's going to be a long one, since we're flying over half the Earth."

"Yeah, maybe I could fly on my own," you said with a wide smile.

"Maybe," he returned. "But I still want to fly the way we have been, I like that better." He gave you a smirk, beginning to hover.

"Me too," you smirked back, holding his hand tighter as Jack flew off the runway. Your feet left the ground and you looked down at the mountains, the full thrill of flying filling your body for the first time since you didn't have Jack right beneath you.

No wonder he loved to fly so much.

The view was amazing from this height.

You hummed, using your free hand to hold your paintbrush away from you; laughing as the amber light left a long line of ribbon behind, sparkling in the sun as you left the Arctic Circle. You put your paintbrush back in your pouch and grabbed a hold of the remaining amber light.

You were surprised when it completely solidified at your touch, orange ribbon flapping in the wind as the air grew steadily warmer.

"Hey, Jack," you called over the roar of the wind. "Look at this."

Jack turned his head to smile at you, then saw the ribbon you were holding flap about in the wind and cocked an eyebrow. "Where'd you get that?"

"I made it," you replied, a new theory for your immortality popping into your head. "Oh my gosh, I _made_ it."

"You what?" Jack shouted, completely shocked as you flew over the Equator. "How?"

"The paintbrush. I was goofing around with it and when I touched the light, this thing formed."

Jack gaped at you, the air beginning to cool down once more as you neared the South Pole. "Wow… you must be, like; some art spirit or something."

"Really? Cool…" you responded with a huge smile. Jack began to descend, and you followed suit; even though you had a feeling you were probably about to crash land.

You were right, and as Jack landed on his feet gracefully; your feet dug sharply into the snow and you fell forward, face meeting somewhat cold snow. Jack laughed despite that his fiancée had just fallen face-first into the snow, strong arms pulling you back up as you brushed yourself off.

Face red, you smiled and said, "I meant to do that."

Jack continued to laugh, holding your hand and leading you back to your Antarctica home. "Don't worry, you'll learn," he comforted, holding the front door open for you. "When I first flew, I fell out of the sky and landed in a tree."

You laughed, nodding your head to signal your thanks. Then you ran into the center of your living room, turning around in circles and laughing like a little child. Jack copied you, and you bumped into each other; falling on the floor in a laughing heap.

"I love this place," you sighed as your giggles died down, lying on Jack and holding his hand.

"Same here," he whispered back, kissing your cheek gently. "I never really had a home before; since I died, at least."

Your eyes widened and you sat up sharply. "Crap," you muttered, looking at Jack worriedly. "It's been two days and I haven't been home. My mom would've noticed that I never came down from my room by now."

Jack's eyes widened also as he sat up beside you. "What are we going to do?" he asked worriedly, wrapping his arms around your waist comfortingly. "She won't be able to see you like this, considering she opened a door through me twice."

"And it would be very cruel to fake my own death…" you added solemnly, looking down and fiddling with your fingers.

"Since you never actually died…"

You fell into a sad silence, contemplating over many theories in your head. "Wait… maybe that's my job to do on mortal ground…"

"What?" Jack asked anxiously, laying his head on your shoulder.

"I'm not quite sure, but maybe it's to separate myself slowly from my friends and family; so they wouldn't be quite as worried or affected once I become fully immortal."

"Well, that would make sense."

"Let's head back home," you ordered Jack, brown eyes wide and pleading. "My mortal home. I'd rather get in severe trouble than to have my mother think I'm dead."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," he replied, releasing himself from you to stand up and hold a hand out to you. You took it gratefully, smiling at Jack sadly as he gave you an extremely worried look.

You and Jack both ran out of the door and up into the sky, forgetting about figuring out your new powers and if you could fly on your own or not.

You had to go home.

* * *

You and Jack landed on your front porch, giving Jack one last worried glance before slowly turning the doorknob. You had decided to stay in immortal form until you had gotten into your room, to try and make it a little less suspicious.

You smiled at Jack as you shut the door, he deciding it was best to wait on the porch until you smoothed things out with your mom.

You turned around, your kitchen oddly dark for being early morning.

Your mom normally had to work on Sundays, so she would have already been up and eating breakfast by now.

"Mom?" you called, forgetting that she wouldn't have heard you anyways since you were in immortal form. "Dad? Anybody?" You walked over to the kitchen table, glancing up the stairs to see if any lights were on up there.

"I'm back!" you added, leaning against the table.

Fingertips touched a wrinkled piece of paper, and you looked down to see a note written by your mother.

You tentatively picked it up and read it, wondering what it could be about.

_(F/N),_

_Your father returned from the base and we heard some terrible news as I went to pick him up. Your Great Aunt Sally had just passed away so we're heading up to New York for her funeral. We'll be back by Christmas, I promise._

_Love,_

_Mom_

You put down the now tear-soaked note on the table, Jack quietly entering and shutting the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, walking up to you and embracing you in a warm hug.

"My aunt died…" you choked out, turning around to cry in Jack's shoulder.

True, last time you saw your aunt; you were very little, but you still miss her.

She was the one that told you about all the mythical legends in the world that you realized now turned out to be true.

Now she was gone.

"Oh, (F/N); I'm so sorry," Jack whispered, pulling you in closer and rubbing your back slowly.

You nodded, tears falling into the hood of Jack's jacket. "Let's head back," you murmured, Jack pulling away just enough to see your face.

"What?" he asked, still holding onto you.

"Let's go back to our home," you repeated, wiping away some of the tears. "There's no reason to stay here in an empty house. Plus, we won't have any annoying neighbors where we live," you added with a sad smile.

Jack laughed lightly, dropping his arms to take your hand. "You have a point there."

Suddenly, your head felt like lead and you fell down to the floor with a crash. Jack screamed, kneeling down beside you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you held your head.

"(F/N)!" he shouted, helping you sit up. "Are you okay?"

You tried to nod as you pushed yourself up, your head almost too heavy for your neck to hold. The second you shook your head, loud vibrations echoed and for a while all you saw was stars. You leaned back against Jack, trying to stay still. Black dots hovered in the corners of your eyes, your legs stiffening to the point where you couldn't move them.

Jack groaned beside you, and you moved ever so slowly to see what was bothering him. He too was holding his head, and his bracelet seemed to lose its sparkling light. You looked down at yours and gasped.

Black sand was swirling around the bracelet, turning the sky-blue strands black. "Th-he cu-uurse," you slurred in your half-conscious state, lifting your hand up to Jack's face.

He opened his eyes to look at your bracelet and they widened. He opened his mouth to say something but another wave of pain coursed through him, and he fell back against the wall.

Another realization popped in your head, and your eyes widened in fear.

Jack must've had the same realization because at the same time as you, he said—

"We left Pitch in the World of Whiteness."

* * *

**Author's Note: Dun, dun, duuuuuuuunnnnnnnnn! XD Yay! I uploaded this chapter a lot faster than I have been! Yes! :D So, yeah; things just got heavy... Okay, I was going to say something and I've been meaning to say it the last few times I updated and I forgot what it was... :/ Oh well, I'll probably-nevermind, just remembered it. XD The only reason why your immortal self may not look a whole lot different from most of you guys is because brown hair, brown eyes are the dominant genes in the human race and is very common. But through many of the Jack FrostxReader fanfics I read, the reader mainly changed to blue eyes and white hair so I needed to do something different and since I'm dirty-blonde and blue-eyed, this was a major change for me and for the spirit you are, this look makes more sense. :) There, that should answer a few questions. Oh, and for the cliffhanger here, since I don't know if it'll ever become clear in the story, the only way people and things other than Jack and you can get into and out of the World of Whiteness is by hanging onto either one of you. And since you guys left Pitch there... yeah. He's kind of stuck and trying to get out. And that's all I'm going to say about that. Oh, and for the person who asked-yeah; I kind of do think of stuff up as I'm writing it. I get the ideas mainly when I'm dreaming or (as odd as it is) showering (lol) and sometimes as I'm writing along the characters themselves kind of take control and my original idea gets screwed up because they took it down another path than I originally planned. XD There's a saying that I think I may have made up or twisted a bit is that authors are like parents; they may bring characters into the world and take them out, but they can't make the decisions for them. :P And dinner's ready so I have to stop now, so good bye-bye! :P**


	32. The Internal Takeover

**Starting Over**

32-The Internal Takeover

Frightened, you tried to sit up quickly and call for help. But your lead legs kept you glued to the floor with Jack in a similar state of immobility.

"He can't get out!" you shouted, still-working arms able to reach over and grab Jack's. "Without us, he's trapped inside forever!"

"_Never seeing no one, nice again…_," Jack sang, putting a lot of effort just to smirk at you.

You smirked, your head hurting terribly after doing so. "Jack, this isn't a good time for fun and Paul McCartney; we have to get him out!"

Jack became serious again—mostly because it hurt too much to smile for a long set of time. "Wouldn't it be better just to leave him in there?" he offered, running a hand through his hair and pulling on it anxiously. "It'll keep him out of everybody's hairs."

"Unless you want us to no longer exist, then sure! By all means! Let him rampage around in our own little world, slowly destroying us from the center," you shouted, crossing your arms angrily.

Jack cocked an eyebrow, sticking a hand in his pocket; his staff having been left unguarded outside by the door. "What do you mean, _destroying_ us?"

"Theoretical experiments have proven to me that the World of Whiteness is something the both of us created—with our _souls_. So, basically speaking; Pitch is blackening our souls with his nightmarish sand and our bodies are not made to handle that much evil in a short amount of time; so we'll either be engulfed and become mutated Fearlings or we _die_."

"Well, that's a nice fact to learn in my death bed then," Jack mumbled sarcastically, groaning afterwards as something shocked him from the inside.

The same thing happened to you, white light flashing in your eyes and leaving you with double vision as you lifted up your bracelet hand. "On the count of three," you murmured, Jack's hand rising up also.

"One."

"Two."

The "three" didn't even come out of your mouth as black sand erupted from both of your bracelets, sending you both flying backwards and away from each other. You blacked out for a second, catching a vision of what the World of Whiteness was now.

You moaned, sitting up and rubbing your head as Jack did the same thing from across the room. "It's too late," you muttered, cursing silently as you slowly crawled over to Jack; legs dragging like begging kids hanging onto a mother's leg as you made the long trek across the floor. "He's destroyed the World of Whiteness."

"So, what does this mean for us?" he asked, eyes wide and afraid as he pulled you in for a protective hug.

"It means that he'll get out alright, at the expense of our _lives_."

* * *

"The lights," Tooth mumbled, soaring up to the globe and watching as the lights flickered out and back on again. "What's going on? I've remembered the teeth, Sandy's been delivering the dreams; Christmas is on the way… this shouldn't be happening!"

North frowned at the globe and rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Check the axis," he murmured, glancing out the window casually.

Tooth did, and she shrugged in return. "Rotation is fine, everything else is fine, it's just that—"

Sandy tapped North on the leg and pointed at the window, catching Tooth by surprise and stopping her nonstop chattering.

Bunnymund gasped, jumping to the window and looking out. "The snow…" he whispered, looking back at the other Guardians. "It's melting…"

Tooth covered her mouth with her hands, screaming silently as she zipped to the windowsill.

"Jack…" North whispered, holding himself up by placing a hand on the sill. "Something's wrong, he never let snow melt during winter; 'specially at North Pole."

Tooth gasped again, flying around in circles worriedly. "(F/N)! What about (F/N)?"

"She don't know immortal powers yet," North remarked, straightening up again.

"Yes, but Pitch might!" Bunnymund argued, swinging a boomerang around dangerously. "And he won't stop at anything to get what he wants!"

Sandy's input on the conversation was sadly left out as everybody was too busy arguing to notice. He frowned and crossed his arms, sand drifting behind him quickly like fire.

"Well, we have to do something!" Tooth demanded, flying up and down; hitting unfortunate toys that happened to be flying in her direction. "We can't leave them to face Pitch alone!"

"Yeah, North; Tooth is right," Bunnymund agreed, tapping his foot impatiently against the ground; causing a tunnel to appear and disappear again beneath his foot. "Where was Pitch last?"

"Um, oo! He left with Jack and (F/N) into their own little… world…" Tooth started excitedly, but slowed down as the realization of the horror behind her statement set in.

"He's trapped?!" North shouted, unbelieving. "Trapped inside a world only they could get in?!"

Sandy had several images popping over his head, too fast for the others to read.

"Woah, woah, there; mate," Bunnymund interrupted, holding his hands up to slow Sandy down. "(F/N) isn't here to translate for us."

Sandy rolled his eyes, forming a cloud pillow to sit and float on.

"Um well; okay let's start by finding them first," Tooth began, letting her frenzied worry drift to the back of her mind for now until a plan was formed. "Maybe they could tell us more once we find them and save them before it's too late."

North nodded in agreement. "Tooth is right. Alright gang, to the sleigh!"

"Oh crikey, I'm gonna die," Bunnymund muttered.

Even though he had grown to like the sleigh rides since the last defeat of Pitch, they still bothered his stomach.

"Tooth!" North shouted as they walked out onto the sleigh runway. "Do you have any idea where they can be?"

Tooth held up a finger as she used her tooth collecting abilities to locate you and Jack. "Sector 4, small country home a few miles away from local high school. (F/N)'s mortal home."

"To (F/N)'s home it is!" North shouted, hopping into the sleigh and shaking the reins. "Are we ready?"

"As I'll ever be…" Bunnymund groaned as Tooth cheered excitedly and Sandy made a thumbs up sign, grinning widely.

"Here we go!" he yelled joyously, shaking the reins hard against the reindeer; causing them to screech angrily and gallop forward.

After Bunny's many threats of puking and the many loop-de-loops through the ice tunnels, they were off and soaring into the sky when North whispered something into a snow globe and threw it against the sky.

One second, they were in the North Pole; the next, clumsily landed on the roof of your home.

Your cry of terror caught their attention and the Guardians all gave each other a worried look before they jumped (some flying) off the roof and into your house.

* * *

You screamed as black sand continued to pour out of your bracelet, vision blurry and wrist hurting as the bracelet sunk further into your skin.

Jack was having the same issues, but he tried not to scream in pain in order to remain strong for you.

"Jack! (F/N)!" a familiar voice shouted, sounding soft and distant in your ears as black dots covered the corners of your eyes. A mash of bright colors flashed before your eyes, murmuring something as someone else picked you up from the floor.

"Are you alright?" a deeper voice asked, coming from behind and above you. Red and white filled your vision as you tried to decipher who was holding you, and who had Jack.

"Kanga…" Jack mumbled drunkenly, pulling on what looked to be a rabbit's ear.

"Ah, you are really lucky that you're in a different state of mind, pal; otherwise you'd be dead," a different voice spoke, speaking directly to Jack.

"Don't worry guys; we've got you now. You'll be alright," the first voice spoke again, running a hand quickly through your hair.

Menacing laughter filled the air, and you and Jack screamed and fell out of the arms holding you to the floor in unison. You held your head tight, hoping that it would at least stop it from exploding quicker. Black sand exploded out from both of your bracelets, shooting upwards and crashing into the kitchen ceiling before descending downwards and swirling around in circles as it formed into a human being.

Well, mostly a human being.

"Leave them alone, they have to face me on their own," the familiar honeysuckle voice threatened, kicking you in the head playfully and laughing as he done so.

You growled inwardly, too much in pain to say anything out loud.

"Pitch, you've got thirty seconds to revive them—" the first voice—a feminine one—commanded, the mash of colors flying up and ready to attack a rectangle of blackness.

"I can't," the black figure responded, bumping into Jack and earning a groan from him. "I had to get out somehow, and the only way was to destroy the white world and make it dark. That way I could blend in and shadow myself out of there; sort of, _force_ my way out. Quite a happy surprise actually. I could get my revenge in a different way than I expected, and once the curse runs its course, I'll be out of your hair."

"At expense of their lives?!" the second, deeper voice shouted angrily, the stamping of his foot causing uncomfortable vibrations in your head.

"Yeah, Pitch; you've never been so low before," the third voice added.

"Well, if you knew what I was going through, you would understand," the dark voice said sweetly. "Having kids believe in you for a short while, then having them stop and walk through you as if you're not there. But, don't worry; the story gets juicier. Have them believe in you again only to have it stop _again_ by the very same _people_. How would you feel after centuries of being shoved into a dark hole of nonexistence?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't turn to _murder_ if I was!" the mash of colors exclaimed.

Jack, in his pain; rolled over and puked, nearly passing out into his own spit-up. Ice emerged from his whole body, threatening to freeze everyone in the room.

"It looks like it's too little, too late; Toothiana," the dark figure remarked snidely. "Jack's already losing his magical powers by releasing it into the atmosphere. The mortal shouldn't be long after."

You screamed, still able to partly comprehend what the people were saying. Your scream echoed in your head and sounded strangely soft as it bounced off the ends of your mind constantly, adding to the pain you already had.

"Nobody… hurts… Jack," you growled, sounding deep and like it was coming from another occupant; as if you were having an out-of-body experience. Suddenly, your pain dissolved into nothing as you stood up sharply; head swimming and still very tipsy as you moved towards the dark figure.

Amber light emitted from your body, pulling your paintbrush out of your pocket and placing it in your hand for you. You brought the paintbrush up like an ax about to chop off Buckbeak's head and brought it down quickly, solid-looking amber light hovering in a straight line before you. Light grabbed the paintbrush for you and you grabbed onto the hovering light, turning it into a strong, unbreakable amber ribbon.

Angry and still very much unstable, you managed to twirl around in an awesome karate move and wrapped the ribbon tightly around the dark figure, holding him in place. You kicked him to the floor and swayed back and forth from the after effect, trying to maintain your balance as the leadness of your legs starting to kick in again. Amber light reached out to Jack's body and grabbed the ice that began to melt in the air, gently pushing it back inside Jack's body.

Inhaling sharply, as if he had died for a second; Jack stood up and shot ice plain out of his hands at the fallen figure, freezing him in place.

You smiled at Jack proudly before you crashed to the floor and fell into a hole of blackness.

The last thing you heard was Jack's scream and he running to your side, tripping in his dizziness and falling on top of you.

* * *

"No, no, no, no," Jack sobbed, holding his hand to your chest, relieved when he still felt your steady heartbeat. "Don't go, (F/N); don't go."

Pitch, still frozen in place; transformed into a shadow and left quietly, but Jack knew he would be back. The other Guardians stood stock still, shocked at what they just watched.

The amber light that you had created slowly faded into a gold dust around the kitchen, like stars falling from the sky as Jack held you close, still a little blue from losing some of his magic.

When your eyes stayed shut, Jack let a few icy tears fall, landing quietly against your orange leafed chest. "Please, say you'll stay," he whispered, running his hand through your sweaty hair.

The moon outside—despite the fact it was still daytime—rose through and shown into the window, reflecting its light against your engagement ring. The pale blue light turned dark blue and in turn reflecting itself off onto Jack. Jack—startled—began to emit a soft blue glow as he held you close, and to his amazement; your eyes began to flutter.

Finally, they opened; and chocolate brown eyes met ice-blue ones and you smiled, bringing yourself closer to Jack's warmth.

Jack smiled widely, releasing the breath he was holding to hug and kiss you closer. "You're alive," he whispered, the Guardians still watching and gawking at the scene unfolding before them.

You laughed, glancing at your bracelet quickly to notice the black strands gone and replaced with the original sky-blue ones. "Jack, I only passed out from the exertion," you replied smoothly, as if nothing ever happened. "And did I seriously just do that?" you added with a curious smirk.

Jack nodded, laughing lightly. "Oh, (F/N); only you would say that after scaring your fiancé half to death himself."

You smirked, shoving him away playfully. "Better get used to it, mister; for we've got an eternity to scare each other to Hades' underground lair."

Jack laughed again, holding you bridal style as he shakily stood up; still unstable from the excruciating pain he had experienced just a few moments ago. "Now, where were we going before we had that pleasant interruption?"

You giggled, snuggling in closer. "Home."

"Then home it is." Jack walked to the front door, carrying you the entire way. Then he silently called for the wind to take him home; and you were off.

The other Guardians stayed behind, staring at the space where you and Jack once stood.

"What did we just experience?" Tooth finally spoke up, turning to face North.

North shrugged, gazing up at the bright moon. "(F/N)'s more powerful than originally thought."

* * *

**Author's Note: It won't be long now! My favorite chapter to write is coming soon! :) So... how did you think of this chapter? Certainly a few twists added in this-or at least a few twists are yet to come. ;) So, yeah; even I forgot about Pitch for a second there, but he had to get unstuck and now he is! :) You'll find out exactly what spirit you're supposed to be in the next chapter I presume. There's going to be another time lapse too because I need Christmas Eve to come so I could write my exciting chapter. :P Hopefully this update was quick enough to satisfy your cliffhanger needs! Yeah, I tend to make too many cliffhangers when the story really picks up and gets adventurous. XD And I was going to say something and I forgot what it was... Aw... oh well... Anyways, update on my Jack Frost music video: I've got two verses and a chorus done, so now I just have a chorus, bridge, and the final chorus and outro to finish and then I'll be done! Then I'll upload it and hopefully I'll be able to link it here so you guys could watch it. ;) Alright, I feel like I need to say more but I don't know what so I'll end it here. :P Good bye-bye!**


	33. The Misshapen Entourage

**Starting Over**

33-The Misshapen Entourage

_Day 15_

_December 24th_

_Yoo hoo! It's Christmas Eve and North granted me the right to give every continent possible a huge snow storm! Yay! Mainly because that one clash-in with Pitch last week made almost _all _the snow melt and kids nearly stopped believing in me again… But! It's alright now; (F/N) did this _huge_ magical thing that saved both of our lives and speaking of (F/N)… She finally figured everything out about herself! It turns out, when she is in immortal form she is a fall spirit (which kind of makes sense since I'm a winter spirit and she's the season that prepares the land for mine) with the ability to make _whatever_ she wants with her paintbrush. Which is totally amazing. Right now she's out hanging with her mortal friends in mortal form, something about her friend having a "wardrobe malfunction" or something like that. Oh, and she can fly on her own too! I mean, she's not like me and can just hop up into the air and fly away but she doesn't need to hold onto me anymore either. Saddening, in a way… But, yeah; she uses her paintbrush to either make wings for herself or a humungous leaf for her to sit on and ride like a magic carpet. Oh, and her weapon of choice seems to be a bow and arrow… Something about it being quick and easy to make… So, anyways; that's what has been happening around the ol' Frost Cabin (that's the name I gave our Antarctica home. Cool, isn't it?) She hasn't really stayed at her mortal home except to visit friends since her parents are away for a funeral they apparently didn't want her to attend; so, yeah. That's about everything I believe, so I'll quit now._

_See ya,_

_Jack Frost_

You laughed joyously at your friend's joke, sitting in her living room drinking some hot cocoa.

You forgot how fun it was just to chill with your friends given all that's been happening to you lately.

"So, (F/N)? How's that boyfriend of yours doing?" your best friend asked, raising an eyebrow knowingly.

You grinned, leaning back into your chair; wearing normal mortal clothes and furry boots for a pleasant change. "Jack? Oh, he's fine. He's off right now preparing for our wed—I mean, his sister's wedding."

Your best friend gave you a strange look as you stumbled over your choice of words, your face beet red from your slip-up. "Oh, what's his sister's name?"

Darn. You didn't remember if Jack ever told you her name.

You didn't think he even remembered.

"Uh… Jill. Jill Frost," you stammered, thinking about that old nursery rhyme your mother used to say to you before you went off anywhere.

"As in Jack and Jill? What a coincidence," your friend murmured, smiling.

"Yeah, I know right? His mom must've been Mother Goose," you added jokingly, still red from your near give-away of becoming "Mrs. Frost".

_You're crazy!_ your friends would've said. _Is it even legal?_

_Well, if you're an immortal fall spirit no one ever sees, then yeah; it's perfectly legal._

You shook your head to clear it from those thoughts and took another casual sip from your hot cocoa.

"Oh yeah; (F/N)," your friend spoke up, grabbing a cookie and eating it.

"Yeah (BF F/N)?" you replied, you too nibbling on the edge of a cookie.

"Since your parents are away and you're staying for our family Christmas dinner tonight, I invited a few other friends you might want to reconnect with."

"Oh?" you said suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow and eating the rest of your cookie whole. "Who?"

"Well, aside from my cousins Nick and Alex I've invited John and your awkward whatever-you-call-it friend Ethan."

You spit out the cocoa you were drinking dramatically, mainly so you could make your friend laugh but also because you were decently shocked. "Ethan?!" you shouted, slamming the mug down on the table beside you, the fire crackling quietly nearby. "Why would you invite him?!"

Your best friend threw her hands up in surrender, trying desperately not to show her smirk. "I don't know! Because he's cute?" she said in the form of a question, mock hiding from your almost not mocking fire.

"You know how awkward it is between us!" you shouted, sitting back and crossing your arms indignantly. "Especially now since I have Jack and he still… you know…"

"Likes you?" your friend finished, sitting back also and crossing her leg over her other one.

"Yeah…"

"Well, maybe you could bring Jack over also! Make Ethan realize that you don't like him anymore; since you haven't for over a year anyways!"

"And cause a huge Alpha fight? I don't think so," you responded, shaking your head. "Jack's very protective you know."

Your friend sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "Don't say I didn't try!"

You giggled at your friend when suddenly the lights went out, the only source of light now being the fire.

"Oh no, the storm outside must've knocked down the power lines already…" she murmured, straining her neck to look around you and out the window.

You shook your head, standing up and glancing out yourself. "Jack said he wasn't bringing the storm until after midnight…"

"Bringing? What is he? Jack Frost?" your friend chastised, standing up beside you.

You blushed again, but turned to give your friend a weird look; which went unseen due to the darkness. "His name _is_ Jack Frost."

It was your friend's turn to blush as she covered her lips with her hand, smacking you playfully with the other. "You knew which one I meant. You know, the white-haired spirit that tends to ruin Christmas and everything by making it snow so hard Santa's sleigh can't take off?"

You rolled your eyes, walking away from the window. "(BF F/N), you watched _way_ too many Christmas shows this year."

Your friend exhaled sharply, keeping her lips closed so she made a _pfft_ sound. "Oh, and you _haven't_?"

You shrugged nonchalantly; you really didn't have time to this year given everything that happened. "_Put one foot in front of the other; and soon you'll be walking across the flo-o-or! Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door!_"

Your friend laughed, doubling over and pointing at you as you did a little dance in the middle of the room. "Is that all you got?" she taunted, standing back up and trying to regain her composure, ultimately failing. "_I'm Mister White Christmas, I'm Mister Snow. I'm Mister Icicle, I'm Mister Ten Below. They call me Snow Miser, whatever I touch! Turns to snow, in my clutch!_"

"Oh, you _so_ just didn't go there!" you teased, laughing hard yourself.

"Well, I just did, _girl_friend!" she returned, smirking through her laughter. You both laughed super hard until a window burst open, sending a rush of cold wind into the room and blowing out the fire.

You both screamed, running to each other and hugging each other close.

"Good thing we weren't telling each other ghost stories, right?" your friend joked half-heartedly, constantly looking around for any danger.

You nodded, suddenly feeling that sinking fear enter your heart and then you knew the source of the power outage.

_Pitch…_ you thought angrily, keeping your friend close as you snuck up towards the door.

Just as you put your hand on the doorknob, the door swung open and hit you and your friend in the face.

"SURPRISE!" a familiar voice shouted, a flashlight beaming in your face; causing you to close your eyes.

"NICK!" your friend yelled, letting go of you to smack the owner of the voice. "Don't you dare scare us like that again!"

Nick laughed, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "What? I didn't turn off your lights or the fire, you did."

"No, we didn't," your friend replied, three other people coming in the door after Nick.

"Oh, then who did?" he asked, turning to glance at the people behind him.

"It isn't snowing outside if anybody wanted to know that," a petite blonde girl spoke up, peeking around Nick.

"Hi, Alex," your friend said, waving to the blonde girl. "You remember (F/N), right?"

"Yeah, of course," Alex replied, smiling at you through the dark.

"What am I, the next door neighbor?" another boy spoke up, coming out from around Nick also.

"Hi, John," you said, pretending to sound bored.

"Well, hello to you too; (F/N)," John replied back, sticking his tongue out at you. You laughed, smacking him playfully. "So, how's everybody's break been? Good, huh?"

"Yeah, we were having a grand ole time until you four decided to drop in on us," your friend responded, flipping her hair casually.

"Yeah, well; that's our job, cuz," Nick returned, walking over and flopping onto the couch. Alex and John followed suit, sitting on either side of Nick.

You did the calculations and realized that it left you with…

Ethan.

"Hey, (F/N)," Ethan spoke up, as if on cue.

"Hey," you replied to the floor. He casually rubbed against you as he walked over to the chair your friend had inhabited before the power outage. You silently groaned as you shut the door, the room now at least twenty degrees cooler than it was.

Evil laughter echoed in the room, and you turned around sharply to look for the source.

Your friends all gave you a weird look as you continued to do a few 360's.

"(F/N)? Are you alright?" your friend asked tentatively, placing a hand on your shoulder.

"Something's not right," you whispered, looking left and right. "Come to my home with me," you added, slowly pulling out your paintbrush that you kept inside your jean pocket.

You stared at it like you've never seen it before, your friends still staring at you worriedly.

"Um, why?" Nick asked, sitting up.

_Let's hope this still works in mortal form…_ you thought, waving the paintbrush around to be greeted by amber sparkles. "Danger, somebody's after me and my fian—boyfriend and I have a bad feeling that someone is in this room, right _now_."

"Fian—boyfriend?" Alex repeated, standing up and walking over to you. "(F/N), are you sure you're alright?"

You gulped, not really sure yourself if you _were_ alright. "I sure hope so," you said slowly, waving your paintbrush and trying to draw a large leaf. Sparkles hovered in the air and fizzed out, not turning into anything huge and majestic.

You sighed, turning around to look your friends in the eye. "Alright, sit down; this is going to be a long story."

* * *

"You're a _what_?" John exclaimed, standing up dramatically and nearly spilling your forgotten cocoa.

"An autumn spirit," you repeated quietly, lowering your head slightly. "I paint the leaves all the different colors and knock them down with the help of my boyfriend's friend—the North Wind. I also prepare the land for his harsh yet playful winters, so when spring arrives; the grass will re-grow and the trees will re-blossom and stuff like that."

Ethan burst out into an obnoxious laugh, only silencing when he realized no one else was laughing. "Wait… don't tell me this isn't a joke," he said, face flushing in the moonlight. "Come on, (F/N); this can't be true."

You nodded slowly, still looking down at the floor.

Well, most of it was true…

You kept out the fact that you were engaged and living under the same roof as Jack, for your friends' sake.

A collective gasp entered your ears as your best friend stood up, running over to you and hugging you tight. "Oh, (F/N)! How come you didn't tell me?" she whispered, squeezing you before she pulled away to meet your gaze.

"Because…" you started, not really wanting to continue with what you were going to say.

"Because what? The end of the world?" Nick spoke up, standing up and waving his arms around for exaggeration.

"No… because, becausesoonI'mgoingtobeimmortalforeverandImaynever seeyouagain," you said all in a huge rush, accidentally combining your words.

The boys and Alex all stared at you blankly, not really understanding what you just said. But your best friend gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Immortal? For… forever?" she repeated for you, finally getting a reaction out of everybody else as she cleared it up for them.

You nodded; amber light starting to hover around you. You sighed, turning around for a second to compose yourself. "Alright," you whispered to yourself as you turned back around. Then, raising your voice for everyone to hear, "Remember that feeling you got on this very day when you were a kid? The feeling of joy and excitement; wondering exactly what Santa Claus was going to bring you? The impatient urge for Christmas morning to come so you could rip open the presents under the tree?" Your friends nodded in response, not quite sure how to react. "Well, remember that feeling, feel it yourself—the wonder, the hope, the _belief_—and believe in me. Not in (F/N + L/N) the ordinary schoolgirl with a super-hot boyfriend whose wickedly awesome at hockey but in (F/N + L/N) the immortal fall spirit whose boyfriend's and her lives could possibly be in danger." You took a deep breath, watching your friends closely and waiting for the innocent light you've come to recognize turn on in their eyes. "_Believe_."

Amber light sparkle stronger and stronger around you as you thought about being immortal again.

You've gotten very good at controlling your morphing. Now you could say the magic words out loud without suddenly bouncing into a different form like you used to do.

You giggled slightly, remembering how much that used to frighten Jack.

Amber light flashed in front of your face and dispersed, and you looked down to see your leaf leggings and bare feet where blue jeans and furry boots once were. You grinned, looking up to meet the wide-eyed gazes off all your friends.

Your best friend was the first to speak up. "Oh my gosh, (F/N); that outfit is _so_ cute!"

You blushed, swirling your paintbrush around confidently. "Personally designed for me by Man in Moon," you smirked, twirling in place just to show off.

"Dude; and I thought you looked hot before," Ethan whistled, earning a somewhat playful smack from you.

"Sorry, Eth; but I'm taken," you remarked, marching confidently to the door. "Besides, enough of that. Something's not right, and I can feel it. Come with me to my house."

"Aw… but it's so far away!" John complained, dragging his feet as he walked to the door.

"Dude, it's just across the street; you idiot," Nick remarked, rolling his eyes as he followed pursuit.

You smirked evilly—you knew you weren't actually taking them to your _house_; well, you were… But it wasn't the one they thought.

"I know… But it's still so _far_!"

"Don't worry John, we won't be walking—we'll be flying," you added with another smirk, twirling your paintbrush.

Everyone looked at you dumbfounded.

"Flying?" Alex finally said, still young enough for flying to really interest her.

"Yep," you nodded, turning around to begin drawing your giant leaf. "Magical mystery tour, anyone?"

"_All up for the magical mystery tour!_" your friend shouted, smiling at you.

You laughed, beginning to fill in the outline of the leaf with amber light. "_The magical mystery tour; is coming to take you away… Coming to take you away, take you today!_" you sang in response, gently poking the now-filled in leaf and turning it solid. "Alright, everybody ready?"

Different replies echoed; some nodding excitedly, others hiding behind furniture. You walked out the door with your leaf, laying it down flat and sitting on it, holding two ends of the leaf like a rein. You put your paintbrush back in its little pouch, slowly rising as everyone sat down behind you.

You willed the edges of the leaf to curl up like a protective barrier and had some veins poke out and wrap themselves around your friends.

You didn't want any of them to fall of in your little adventure.

"Here we go!" you shouted, the wind gently lifting you and your entourage up into the sky; way past your mortal house.

"Um, (F/N)…" John spoke nervously, avoiding looking at the ground. "We past your house two miles ago…"

You smirked, pulling your paintbrush out and letting the wind take over as you painted a mini snow globe in the air. "I know, I didn't say I was going to _that_ home." You poked the amber circle and caught the falling snow globe as it formed out of the sky. "The Frost Cabin," you whispered to the globe before throwing it against the seeming un-solid sky.

It burst, leaving a distorted vortex of the night sky in its place. The leaf and the people on it were sucked into it, and suddenly you were no longer in your hometown; but in the bright whiteness of Antarctica.

You smiled, descending and landing on the snow and walking up to your front porch.

Being a fall spirit, the chilliness and of the South Pole didn't really affect you much anymore; actually, you almost greeted it with a desire.

But, still; it wasn't like you were Jack Frost and you needed the cold to survive.

It was still somewhat unpleasant.

Because of this, you almost forgot about your friends; who would undoubtedly get frostbite in two minutes if they weren't properly covered soon.

"Darn, it's freezing!" Nick exclaimed, hugging himself and shivering profusely.

"(F/N)! What were you thinking?" your best friend added, walking up to you and using her hair to cover her face.

You blushed, pulling out your paintbrush and quickly creating heavy winter outfits for them. "Opps, sorry," you mumbled, opening the door and entering your home. "Forgot about that." You glanced around the home, looking for any sign of life. "Jack!" you shouted, walking to the hallway and opening the bedroom door. "I'm back!"

"You and Jack… _live together_?" your best friend whispered, shocked.

You grinned sheepishly, shutting the door and walking into the kitchen. "I guess you could say that… Besides, my parents are up in New York for a funeral anyways and they won't be back 'till later tonight."

"Uh, how long as this been going on?" Ethan added, acting like a disappointed parent.

"Erm, about a week; I should say," you replied, picking up a piece of paper on the table. "I don't know really, I seemed to have lost track of time since I met Jack." You read Jack's scrawled note and dropped it back on the table, running into your bedroom and looking out the window.

"Um, (F/N)? What's wrong?" your best friend asked tentatively, running after you.

"Uh-oh," you muttered, watching the Aurora Borealis flicker across the Antarctic sky. "North's gathered the Guardians. We have to leave."

"What?" Nick and John shouted in unison.

"We have to leave," you repeated, painting another snow globe and tossing it in the air and catching it on its way down. "Now."

* * *

**Author's Note: Tada! I believe the exciting chapter is next! :D I have to make a quick note today before my dad yells at me, so, I didn't really get to proofread the second half of this chapter so if there's oppsies... well, oppsies. XD Anyways, I don't own the small tidbits of Christmas songs or the Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" in here and I hope you like your friends! Uh-oh, gotta go! Bye!**


	34. An Unexpected Twist

**Starting Over**

34-An Unexpected Twist

"Now?" John complained, pointing his finger at the ground. "As in now _now_?"

You sighed, rolling your eyes dramatically. "As in now now, yes." You threw the snowball at the wall, the logs distorting into a rainbow of swirling colors. "Follow me."

"Into the rainbow swirl of colors?" John whined, stepping back into the couch. "I don't think so."

"Is this what it looks like when you're high?" Ethan joked, walking forward and poking the portal; unknowingly teleporting himself to the North Pole.

You giggled, rolling your eyes again. "How would I know?" Everyone else laughed while you gently pulled Alex forward. "Alright, youngest first; since Ethan already abandoned ship."

"Ethan's older than me though!" Alex added, crossing her arms.

"I know, but we got to get going. Who knows what could be happening."

Alex exhaled sharply in exasperation, but obeyed nonetheless.

She, too; was sucked into the swirl of colors and out into the North Pole.

"John, you're next," you ordered, waving him forward.

"Aw, come on!" he whined, dragging his feet as he walked over to you. "Who knows where you could be sending me! It might be the inside of a tyrannosaurus rex for all I know!"

Again, you rolled your eyes; grabbing his arm and pushing him towards the portal. "It's not the inside of a T-rex, I promise." You shoved him in, and continued to call out the names of the rest of your friends—which were just Nick and (BF F/N).

"Alright, guys; in," you said, motioning to the still open portal.

"Together, on the count of three," your best friend murmured, holding onto Nick's hand. "One, two, three!" They ran to the portal and disappeared and—shaking your head—you followed them; stepping into the portal and having it suck back into nothingness behind you.

* * *

"North!" you shouted, running up to the large man as he was explaining things to the other Guardians. "I saw the lights! What's happening?"

"Pitch," he murmured darkly, turning to face you. "He recuperated from previous attack and is on hunt for revenge. He's already scared England into disbelief!"

"Oh no!" you gasped, covering your mouth with your hands. You felt Jack's arms wrap around you, never noticing how he ran up to you as fast as Sonic the Hedgehog does on his evening strolls.

"(F/N)," he whispered in your ear. "We're going to need your help. Big time."

You smiled, turning to look Jack in the eye. "Alright, should be no biggy," you smirked, waving your paintbrush around lazily before using it seriously to create a bow. You grabbed it and slung it through your shoulder, not needing to make any arrows for they just appeared as you drew the string back.

Jack giggled, though his eyes didn't show it. He kissed you gently on the cheek before walking back over to the other Guardians to finish up listening to North's instructions.

"What on earth is (F/N) doing?" John whispered in Nick's ear, watching you as you apparently talked to the air.

"She's discussing something with Santa Claus, it looks like," he whispered back, eyes switching back and forth between the jolly red man, you, and the tall boy in a blue hoodie.

"What?" John whisper-shouted incredulously, raising an eyebrow at Nick. "Santa ain't real!"

"Isn't," Nick corrected, frowning at John. "And apparently he is because I'm looking right at him."

John scratched the back of his head, believing that two of his friends have lost their minds. "Are you nuts?"

"No. Are you?"

"No, I'm not the one staring intently into space!"

"Guys, guys; shh," your best friend interrupted the boys' bickering, pointing to you as you were discussing things with people she couldn't see. "(F/N)'s trying to accomplish something, and just because we can't see them doesn't mean they can't see us!"

"Yeah, guys; (BF F/N) is right. For all we know, they could be trying to murder us right now and we won't find out until we're dead!" Ethan added, making the seemingly crazy situation grimmer.

"Really, Ethan?" Alex sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "Do you seriously believe _Santa Claus_ would want you _dead_?"

Ethan shrugged, pulling his black bangs out of his face. "How do I know it's actually Santa Claus talking to (F/N)? What if it's Slenderman in disguise?"

Your best friend rolled her eyes. "He's not the Slenderman in disguise. For goodness sake, Ethan; get a _life_."

Ethan stuck his tongue out at your friend and crossed his arms, turning to talk with John and Nick instead.

"Where's he at now?" you asked North, placing your paintbrush back into its little sheath.

"Somewhere close to home," he replied, earning a shocked gasp from Jack.

"He's already zoning in on Jamie?" Jack shouted, wrapping an arm around you protectively.

"It looks like it," North said, grabbing both of his swords and putting them in their sheaths. "To the sleigh!"

"Wait, a minute; North," Bunnymund interrupted, halting the Guardians from moving anywhere. "We've got company."

The Guardians turned around to follow Bunny's paw, which was pointing at your group of teenage friends.

"Teenagers?" Tooth spoke up, flying over to them; almost through them in reality. "What are they doing here?"

"(F/N) told us to come home with her and we ended up here instead," Nick answered, looking directly at the colorful fairy flying above him.

Tooth gasped, nearly falling out of the sky. "You can see me?" she whispered anxiously, reaching out to poke his nose.

Nick backed away quickly, not sure what this girl wanted from him. "Yeah, but these fellows over here can't," he replied, covering his nose with one hand and waving to his friends with the other.

"Oh, well; that's nice," Tooth responded slowly, turning to North for help.

North shrugged, giving you a stern look. You cowered behind Jack, unsure of what North was going to do.

"Bring them along, they already here," he told Tooth, who waved to Nick to come forward. "Jack, fly alongside (F/N) and her mortal friends; show them way there. Everybody else, to the sleigh!"

Bunny nodded sharply and Sandy saluted North, twirling around and marching off to the sleigh runway. Tooth made a signal to Nick, you, and Jack that said "Good luck!" and turned around to flutter away behind the others.

"Take care, you two," North stated; a look of honest concern in his big blue eyes. "We don't want responsibility for mortal deaths."

"Wow, way to sugar things up; North," Jack replied sarcastically, lifting himself into the air.

"I wasn't sugar-coating Jack! It's true!" North added, his voice sounding more distant with each syllable as he walked away; still not understanding Jack's sarcasm.

"Give up Jack," you whispered to him, re-creating your leaf for your friends to fly on. "Another 300 years and he still won't get it."

Jack grinned sheepishly, flying out the window where Man in Moon normally peeks through when he has a message.

"300 years? Dude, how old _is_ your boyfriend, (F/N)?" John exclaimed, sitting upon your leaf; still somewhat nervous of where you were going next.

Because, really; how many people can truly handle being suddenly taken from their normal lives and flung into both the South and North Poles in one measly half-hour?

"Erm, I believe he's 314; counting his life before his death," you replied, slowly lifting the leaf up into the air as everyone else sat down.

You watched John make a face through your peripheral vision and laughed, flying out the window after Jack.

"Hey, hon; exactly where are we headed?" you shouted at him over the wind, actually forming something similar to a friendship with the Wind yourself as of late.

Jack looked at the ground solemnly, and you felt all the thoughts that were going through his head at that exact moment go through you. "The place I was reborn."

"And where's that at?" Nick whispered in your ear, obviously being the only person who heard Jack's reply.

"Burgess, Virginia," Jack replied, having overheard Nick's question.

"Oh," he murmured, sitting back down.

"Where?" John repeated stubbornly, since the conversation seemed rather one-sided to him.

You rolled your eyes, following Jack as he began to descend. "Listen, dummy; and you'd know where we're going!"

"Hey! I did listen! But no one responded!" John retorted, frowning and crossing his arms like a little child.

You laughed, the leaf dissolving into amber sparkles as you stepped off onto a roof top somewhere in Burgess. You immediately shivered—ironically not from the chilliness of the promised snowstorm soon to come.

Somehow, something didn't feel right.

You could tell.

It was like a sharp pain in your gut. That feeling you get when you know something bad is about to happen but it's too late or too powerful to do anything to stop it.

"We're here," Jack whispered, grabbing your hand protectively and standing beside you.

* * *

Laughter echoed through the dark night; but it wasn't the light, happy laugh of Jack's. The Guardians—who landed just seconds after you had—tensed, turning every which way; looking for the source of the disembodied voice.

"The belief," Tooth whispered; Baby Tooth and a few other mini-fairies flying boldly beside her. "It's wavering."

The laughter continued, and you tried to reach for your bow but were otherwise held back by Jack.

"Don't, (F/N)," he whispered to you, releasing your hand to hold his arm protectively over you just like he did with Jamie last Easter. "It's too dangerous. Go hide with your friends in mortal form, now," he ordered, a mixture of sadness, concern, and fear in his ice-blue eyes.

You sighed and nodded, the now familiar feeling of fear already forming in your heart. You transformed in the blink of an eye and urgently pushed your friends toward the stairs that lead to the street below.

You turned around to look at Jack, not wanting to leave his side.

For some unknown reason, you felt that it was a bad mistake to do so.

"Go, (F/N)," he repeated softly, eyes glistening in the moonlight. He pointed his staff threateningly at every shadow that moved, even his own at one point.

On impulse, you ran up to Jack and trapped him in a huge bear hug; pulling away slightly to kiss him feverishly on the lips. "Stay safe," you murmured, and then you took off to the stairs where your friends waited nervously.

You looked back at Jack one last time, taking a deep breath and trying not to cry. Despite the conditions, you kept your cool and instantly went top boss on your friends. "Okay, guys. There's danger everywhere we step, and we must hide, like; right now."

"(F/N), what's making you so nervous?" your best friend asked, placing a calming hand on your shoulder.

You took another shuddering breath. "Pitch Black is on the rise," you said, looking each friend in the eye. "You won't see him because you don't believe, and _make sure_ you keep it that way. Even so, we must stay hidden. He will try to scare you, but we're teenagers. We are strong, blind to the fear the myths tell us as children."

"Somebody's been watching a lot of Avengers lately," Ethan whispered jokily, earning an icy glare from you.

"Cut it out, Ethan; this is fatally serious. Now let's go." You pointed to the stairs and ran down them, your friends right on your heel. You ducked into the nearest alley, pushing your friends behind your protectively.

"Now what?" Alex asked curiously as you stood there in the dark, never once relaxing and constantly scanning every corner.

You put a finger to your lips to keep everyone quiet. "We wait for the signal."

"(F/N)…" someone called, sounding distant.

You straighten up, looking around everywhere. "What was that?"

"What was what?" John questioned, cocking an eyebrow. "I don't hear anything aside from the raccoons and owls."

"(F/N)…" it called again.

"That," you muttered, peeking out from the shadows. You waved to your friends and tip-toed out from the alley. "Follow me."

The voice continued to whisper your name, and you continued to follow it until it suddenly stopped; leaving you and your friends on a barren roof.

"Odd…" you whisper, turning around in circles to look for the person who called you.

Evil cackling vibrated off your eardrums, sending fear straight into your heart.

_Uh-oh_, you thought, standing in front of your friends protectively.

"Guys, do exactly as I say," you whispered to them, your eyes darting in every direction. "And what I am saying is, run."

Your friends just stood there, frustrating you as the laughter got louder.

"Run, guys," you repeated, yet they still stayed put. Black sand began to form into something—no, someone—in front of you, your breathing becoming more rapid as each second passed. The sand slowly turned into a tall figure, and by then you knew you were out of time.

"Do you want to die?!" you whisper-shouted to your friends, keeping your eyes on the cackling man in front of you. "RUN!"

Finally, your friends slowly began to move, but not fast enough.

"Did you seriously think you could hide from me?" the grey man fully formed in front of you spoke. "Did you really think you could escape from my grasp, running around in mortal form?"

You gulped, clenching and unclenching your fists. Your friends burst into a full-out run, and Pitch put an arm out to stop them.

"Ah-uh! Not so fast, mortal ones," he scolded, but they ran right through him, not even glancing back to look at you.

You burst out laughing, doubling over and pointing at Pitch. "They don't see you, silly! They're teenagers! They don't believe!"

Pitch frowned at you, twirling strands of black sand between his fingers. "So, you find that amusing, mortal one?"

Your laughter didn't cease to stop. "Indeed, I did," you said between giggles.

"Well, look around you, mortal one," Pitch mentioned, motioning to the area around you. "There's no one here, and you're the one I was looking for. What better way to get revenge on Jack Frost then to kill his sweet little fiancée in her mortal form?"

Your heart stopped beating at the mention of Jack's name.

"Jack…" you whisper, eyes wide in fear.

"That's right, little one. He left you for another. He's not here to save you. No one's here to save you; not even your puny mortal friends."

"No, no, I won't believe it," you yelled, glaring at Pitch.

"Ah, but you will, young one," he said smoothly, aiming an arrow straight to your heart. You began to furiously poke your bracelet, trying to get Jack to come. The gem glowed, but Jack didn't arrive.

"Ugh, why isn't it working?" you mutter angrily, the tension on Pitch's bow increasing.

"Let's see how _amusing_ this is when I'm done," he taunted, releasing the string.

You stood still in shock, waiting for the pain to come.

"(F/N)!"

In a blur, blue and white flashed before you, the arrow never even grazing you.

Before your eyes, Jack fell to the ground, grabbing his chest where the arrow hit.

"Jack!" you screamed, falling to your knees beside the fallen boy. "Jack, no, no, Jack…" You brushed his white hair out of his face, his breathing ragged.

"(F/N)," he murmured, moving his bloodied hand to hold yours. "Promise me; don't let Pitch get to you."

"No, don't say that Jack! You're not going to die! You can't! You're immortal! You… you can't… die again," you cried, tears falling into puddles around you.

"Promise me, (F/N)," he whispered. Then his ice-blue eyes closed for a final time, his hand falling limp in yours.

"No, no, Jack, wake up," you whispered, shaking him a little. "Don't be dead. You can't, you can't."

Pitch laughed in the background, making your nightmare come true even worse. "Ha! Two birds with one stone! How lucky can I be?"

You growled, turning to face the evil man. "Pitch!" you screamed, standing up and storming towards him. "You did this!"

"Ah-uh!" he scolded; a smirk on his too happy face. "Don't you remember what you promised him?"

You stopped, slowly making your way back to Jack. "Uh-oh…" you mutter, trying to find a place to hide.

"Uh-oh is right, mortal one. But you realized too _late_." Another arrow shot from his bow, but you were too close to him to do anything about it. "Good night," he smirked, the arrow piercing through your shirt and skin.

The pain was unbearable, and you fell to the ground, managing to pull the arrow out of your chest.

Laughing, Pitch disappeared into the night, leaving you alone with Jack.

You used what was left of your energy to reach for Jack's hand. "Jack," you whispered, crying silently. "I'm sorry, Jack." Your eyes began to grow heavy, and you could feel your heart starting to give out. You took a big breath, knowing it would be your last. "I love you."

Then you fell into a dark hole, Jack's cold hand against yours.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hehe, the chapter title matched the chapter perfectly, I believe. :) Now, I'm running on bingo time right now, so quick note; but yeah, sorry for more than a week late update! I finished taking Health class over the summer and now I don't have that free hour of writing I normally got after class so, it took me forever to finish it-even though I did have more than half of this chapter written months earlier on paper and on Word because I just couldn't wait to write it! XD So yeah, this should satisfy your needs for about... two seconds I predict. XD Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up sooner, but for now; I got to go! :D Good bye-bye!**


	35. Don't Forget About Me

**Starting Over**

35-Don't Forget About Me

"Oh my gosh…" your best friend murmured, not believing what she was seeing.

"What?" Ethan asked tentatively, peeking over her shoulder.

"(F/N)…" she whispered, staring at the place where you lay. "That fall was not natural, and I don't believe blood—oh my gosh! (F/N)!" she screamed, running across the roof to where you and the boy she could not see lay.

"What's got her all in the knots?" John joked, walking behind her.

Beside him, Nick burst into a full-out run; leaving everyone else in the dust. "(F/N)!" he shouted, kneeling down beside you. "(F/N), can you hear me? Breathe, (F/N); breathe." He placed his hand gently on your chest, your cold blood leaking through his fingers.

Everyone else caught up to him and watched Nick as he did his assessment. He sighed sadly, looking up at the teenagers peering down at him. "She's gone. And so is her boyfriend."

"NO!" your best friend screamed, falling to her knees and placing her head by yours. "No, no, no, no, no. I won't believe it. We're supposed to be best friends for life!"

Nick looked up to watch the remaining Guardians walk over.

North stopped abruptly, looking at the scene before him. "No…" he whispered, dropping his sword.

"Jack!' Tooth cried, flying over to his unmoving body and brushing his hair out of his face. "He's cold… Well, warm for him but he's… he's…" she stopped talking when she saw you in mortal form lying motionless beside him; your hand just barely rubbing against Jack's. "No, not (F/N) too!"

"What's going on?" Bunnymund asked, hopping up to Tooth with Sandy close behind him.

"They're dead," Nick stated solemnly, standing up and backing away from the bodies.

"But how?" Ethan exclaimed, pulling some of his hair out. "Didn't (F/N) say she was part immortal?"

"Yes," Nick replied, walking over to his cousin and caressing her. "But look at her, that's not her immortal form. She was mortal, and whatever shot her and her boyfriend must've been immortal anyways; because otherwise Jack would still be alive."

"No, don't say that!" your best friend shouted, roughly pushing Nick away. "She's still alive! She can't be dead… not forever… she can't… She's—she's just sleeping! 'Tis all," she cried, tears falling from her eyes and landing on your cold face.

Her crying was interrupted by a sharp yelp, and Nick and the Guardians looked up to see Tooth clutching her chest and fluttering to the ground.

"Tooth! Are you alright?" North asked, quickly running to her side.

"I… feel a new fairy coming," she murmured, purple eyes wide with surprise.

"Now?" Bunny asked, placing a paw behind Tooth's head to help her up.

"Yes, now," she whispered, moaning slightly as the familiar fluttery feeling of warmth pulsed through her. She gasped in shock when it suddenly began to feel like she was being frozen from the inside out.

Sandy put a hand on her shoulder to support her as a fairy popped out and landed in her open palm.

No, wait—two fairies.

"Well, that's extraordinary," she muttered, lifting the mini copies of herself up to face.

That's when she noticed that they weren't truly copies of her.

Yeah, they had the same body shape and everything; but their coloring was different.

One fairy was white with blue frost tinting the tip of every feather on her body. Her eyes were wide with excitement, the ice-blue color sparkling bright in the moonlight. As she flew, little mini snowflakes trailed behind her, melting into the sky before they hit the ground.

The other fairy was an auburn color, a bright orange head feather sticking upright. Her wings sparkled as she fluttered, animated brown eyes occasionally going blank as she looked off into the distance. As she followed the other fairy, amber sparkles drifted behind her, disappearing almost as quickly as they were made.

"They almost look like fairy versions of Jack and (F/N)," Bunny observed, holding a paw out for the auburn fairy to sit on.

"Hm," Tooth murmured, stroking the ice-blue head feather of the white fairy. "Now that you mention it, they kind of do look like them."

"It like piece of soul detached from them and reincarnate into mini fairy," North spoke up, watching the fairies flutter about with interest.

Baby Tooth flew up to the white fairy, looking her over to see if she would fit in with the fairies back at home.

_Do you have a name?_ Baby Tooth asked the fairy, the conversation going unheard by everyone else.

_Jackie,_ the white fairy replied, smirking slightly. _At least, that's what I heard._

_Oh, that's nice,_ Baby Tooth responded, turning to face the auburn fairy that was flying up to greet her. _What about you? What's your name?_ she asked her.

The auburn fairy looked at Baby Tooth solemnly. _I don't have a name… _

Baby Tooth gasped, then gave her another quick once-over; trying to determine a name for the new fairy. _Oh! You poor darling! _she exclaimed. _Well, let's give you a name then._

_How about Autumn?_ Jackie spoke up, motioning to the fairy's fall-like colors.

Baby Tooth frowned, rubbing her chin dramatically. _Eh, seems too direct… Let's try… Amber! How about Amber?_

Jackie and the auburn fairy nodded excitedly in agreement, flying around together in circles; a mixture of white fluff and amber sparkles drifting down like confetti at a surprise birthday party.

"Hey, Baby Tooth," Tooth called, waving the mini fairy over. "Mind introducing us to your new sisters?" she asked with a smile.

Baby Tooth grinned and nodded, motioning for Jackie and Amber to come forward. _This is Jackie,_ she introduced, waving towards the white fairy; then switched arms towards the auburn one. _And this is Amber._

"Hi Jackie! Hi Amber!" Tooth said cheerily, holding her hands out for the fairies to fly into. "I'm Toothiana!"

"That explain theory," North stated, nodded to the fairies in Tooth's hands.

"So," Nick started, eyes drifting over to Jackie and Amber. "That's Jack and (F/N)?"

Bunny shook his head, ears hanging low. "No. At least, not exactly."

"It like Horcrux from Lord Voldemort when he frightened wizarding world into shaky belief," North simplified, clasping and unclasping his hands to help prove his point.

"Aw, come one; don't be silly," Nick laughed, holding his head. "_Harry Potter _is just a fantasy novel."

"Hey!" your best friend piped up, inwardly growling at her cousin. "Harry Potter is _not_ just a _fantasy_."

Nick stuck her tongue out at her playfully, earning a smack from her. Then he turned back to North, waiting for more answers. "So, they could live forever?"

Bunny laughed, face-palming. "They were immortal to begin with. But now, if they were to be killed by an immortal; their souls could at least live on forever in another creature."

"They _were_ killed by another immortal," Nick said dryly, furrowing his eyebrows.

Sandy, seeming to always be ignored by everybody; flew into the middle of the group and waved his arms obnoxiously.

"What is it Sandy?" North asked, giving his full attention to the little man.

Sandy pointed up to the sky as the moon began to enlarge and brighten. North gasped and began to push everybody towards the edge of the roof, the non-believers watching Nick and getting the idea that they had to move.

"What's going on?" Alex asked nervously, hiding behind Ethan.

"Man in Moon is doing his thing," North replied, and Nick had to repeat what he said so Alex could hear.

The moon began to glow brighter and bigger, so big that it could have engulfed the North Pole entirely if it so pleased. The bright moonlight glowed off of yours and Jack's pale skin, and slowly; you both began to rise.

Slowly; up and up you both went, and if eyes could see; you would notice how small the ground and the onlookers appeared as you rose.

Eventually, you had risen out of the Earth's atmosphere; the blue planet shrinking in size as zero gravity and the powerful blue moonlight dragged you towards the moon's surface. Stars twinkled about you and Jack, seeming to greet you with pleasure as you began your descent onto the moon.

A plump golden man waited silently below, watching his perfect couple fall from space to his moon.

And man, did he wish that Kozmotis would stop interfering with the timeline so much.

They weren't supposed to die.

They weren't supposed to.

No, they couldn't die.

They shouldn't.

But they did.

* * *

Jack woke up with a pounding headache, and the bright light didn't help much.

He sat up abruptly, holding his head and moaning quietly. He blinked a few times and gathered in his surroundings.

White.

Everything was white.

Why did it always have to be white?

In the distance, Jack thought he saw something glint blue; and he stood up and started to fly over to it.

That is, if the wind ever picked him up and took him there.

But he didn't, and Jack was left jumping up and down like a fool on the hill.

Jack tried to shout angrily at the wind, but no words left his lips; not even a foggy exhale.

He suddenly became very scared; more scared than even on the day he was reborn.

He couldn't fly, couldn't speak.

Did he even exist?

He looked down at himself, poking and pinching his arms until they burned.

Yep, he either still existed or had a very overactive imagination.

Either explanation was acceptable at this point.

The shimmer of blue caught his eye again, and instead of flying he tried walking—running even.

But no matter how fast he ran or how long he walked, the blue glint never got any bigger nor did he get any farther.

He was walking in place!

Slowly, memories flooded his brain; taking him away from this white world into the land of dreams.

Memories of his childhood, his sister, his mother.

Nights by the campfire, making a feast out of the large pheasant he helped his dad catch that morning.

Climbing trees, teasing his friends, hugging a pretty girl from behind and running away as if he was never there.

Then the scene changed.

He was in a lake, the ice closing up above him.

He was drowning, he couldn't breathe, couldn't swim.

He was scared.

Then he was whisked out of the lake and onto a sleigh, smirking at Bunnymund and dunking before he got hit in the head with the returning boomerang.

The sky darkened, and Jack screamed to be taken out of this memory.

He knew what was coming next, and he didn't want to watch it over again.

But no one heard his pleas, and he was forced to watch Sandy become engulfed in blackness and stay that way for a short while.

_NO!_ he screamed, yet it never changed. Sandy died, and he watched himself desperately fly up to stop the hopeless situation from occurring.

Jack punched and screamed at nothing, and then the scene changed again.

Now he found himself standing at the edge of a forest, looking down at a girl drawing something in her sketchbook.

He gave a sigh of relief, something happy for a change.

He watched as the girl dropped her sketchbook in surprise, for he had said something aloud and had not seen him there. He picked up the sketchbook and handed it to her, a small blush evident in her beautiful cheeks.

Once more, he was whisked away from the memory and up to the top of the Eiffel Tower; where he watched himself blush and look down for a second as he placed the frosted flower in her hair.

Then he saw himself pull her closer to him and slowly lean in, kissing her softly and gently on the lips.

Jack covered his eyes with his hand, flushed with embarrassment.

It is quite awkward watching yourself kiss someone.

Albeit reluctantly, he left the Eiffel Tower to find himself in another dark and scary memory.

Man, he didn't notice how dark his life could really be.

Pitch was standing before the girl, arrow fastened loosely in its taut bow.

Jack screamed the same time as his memory-self screamed, and he felt a rush of adrenaline wash over his body.

Adrenaline traded itself with pain, pain too unbearable to handle that even non-memory Jack fell to the ground; clutching his chest. The pain began to subside, but so did the other sensations.

He was losing it, he thought; breathing heavily and attempting to crawl up to the scene before him.

That's when everything went dark.

* * *

Jack blinked again, opening his eyes once more to the blinding white light.

What was that he just went through?

It was like 314 years worth of life just flashed before his eyes, too real for his taste.

A soft moan entered his ears, and after checking his surroundings several times over; he realized it came from him.

He rolled his eyes and shakily stood up; just about falling over again when he saw who lay motionless before him.

"(F/N)!" he shouted, his voice sounding scratchy and like it was coming from a picture on a screen. He kneeled before you, placing a hand on your cold chest.

"No," he whispered, not liking the sound of his own desperate voice. "No, no, no, no, no. This can't be." He ran a hand through your hair, the silky strands falling limp between his fingers.

Jack remembered how you always used to sing at the weirdest times, and how they always seem to have a hidden meaning of some sort. He remembered how you laughed, the way your eyes twinkled with something he didn't understand then but understood way too much now. He remembered your scientific explanations, bringing sense into his seemingly senseless life.

Tears began to well up in his eyes, and he wiped them away furiously before they became a hazard. "Please, (F/N)," he whispered, laying his head against your chest gently. "As long as I live—which is a long time—I'll be waiting for you. Waiting for your beautiful smile and your shining face, the face I so deeply love. And if you ever resurrect—and I pray to Man in Moon that you do—whatever you do, and I honestly don't care what you do as long as it doesn't involve another guy," Jack laughed half-heartedly at that, "Just please, don't forget about me."

He sat back up, taking your hand in his. He took a deep breath, and then began the tradition you made between the two of you.

He sang; slowly and gently yet upbeat and filled with something others could only call—love.

_I've a heart that's in a million pieces,  
Got a soul and he's threatening to leave me, he said he's on a runaway train from me  
I'll get my rest in another lifetime, and make it up to him  
My feet are runnin' a million miles ahead of me_

_Forget about East, forget about West_  
_Go where the weather suits you best_  
_Forget about North, head for the South_  
_Sunshine is there all year around_  
_I don't know where my heart is leading me_  
_Forget about wisdom, head for the coast_  
_Help me forget the things that seem to hurt the most_  
_Just don't forget about me_

_Well, I've a home that's somewhere on the island,_  
_It's green and white and it's gold_  
_Someday I'll be passin' through for you_  
_I left that girl, back there in the hometown_  
_She said her love grew old_  
_God knows I wish I hadn't left her alone_

_Forget about East, forget about West_  
_Go where the weather suits you best_  
_Forget about North, head for the South_

_Sunshine is there all year around  
I don't know where my heart is leading me  
Forget about wisdom, head for the coast  
Help me forget the things that seem to hurt the most  
Just don't forget about me_

_Oh, nothing really matters, no no, that's just the way it is_

_Forget about East, forget about West_  
_Go where the weather suits you best_  
_Forget about North, head for the South_

_Sunshine is there all year around_

_Forget about East, forget about West_  
_Go where the weather suits you best_  
_Forget about North, head for the South_  
_Sunshine is there all year around_  
_I don't know where my heart is leading me_  
_Forget about wisdom, head for the coast_  
_Help me forget the things that seem to hurt the most_  
_Just don't forget about me_

_Don't forget about me, oh, no, don't forget about me, oh, no_  
_Just don't forget about me, don't forget about me_  
_Just don't forget about me_

Jack tried not to cry the last lyric out as he lied down beside you, burying his face in the crook between your neck and shoulders. "I love you."

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh gosh... I just about cried writing this chapter. I made Keith Harkin's song "Don't Forget About Me" (which I don't own by the way, sadly) seem sadder than it actually is. And yeah, sorry about the death... but you knew it was going to happen eventually, right? Or did I make a surprise attack? Anyways, yes; there will be a VERY happy and fluffy ending which I know for a fact y'all can't wait for but there are a few more tear-jerking chapters to go (sorry, I don't like them either but they have to happen, I know. It's what makes a good story a _great_ story) and some more happy ones and no, there isn't a sequel. It's something better... It's a trilogy! :D I seriously hope I don't drag this story on for too long though because I realize I do have a habit for not stopping when I'm ahead... :/ And no, you won't stay dead. What's a story with the main character dead? It's like the Darling parents arriving in the nursery before Peter Pan can take the children away to Neverland! :O So, hint; there's one more song chapter and then Man in Moon clearing things up and explaining things and such and such, etc. etc. I'll keep quiet to avoid spoiling the rest of the story. So, summer's almost over which means updating should start becoming more daily now because I'll come home from school and go straight to the computer to write! And do my homework too... 3 AP classes this year. Yikes! So, yeah; enough rambling and I should hopefully have the next chapter up sooner than I have been updating so... yeah. Good bye-bye for now!**


	36. If I Didn't Have You

**Starting Over**

36-If I Didn't Have You

Jack never came to the realization that he had fallen asleep, never mind waking up to an unearthly and completely unusual room decorated with gold crowning and countertops covered with different-sized jars filled with many strange things within.

He blinked several times before sitting up, rubbing his forehead where the remnants of a burning headache still remained.

"About time you woke up," a warming and oddly familiar voice spoke. "I was beginning to think my Reviving Potion was not to be enough to wake you up."

Jumbled thoughts gathered in Jack's head, moving too fast for him to understand. "Wha—?" he slurred, eyes widening enough for him to begin seeing clearly.

"Ah, the world still has to catch up to you, I see," the man continued with a small laugh, giving Jack's head a friendly pat. Jack winced in pain at the minor infliction. "So, my boy; I can sense you have several questions racing through your wonderful mind. Fire away."

Once Jack realized with a slight shock that the statement the man had spoken was directed to him, he began with the most obvious. "Who are you?" he whispered, still unused to his scratchy voice.

Jack soon began to take in his surroundings and noticed how the golden man before him looked similar to the Sandman. Short and plump, but with every feature of a human being as fingers wrapped around a small potion bottle; still fizzing with something no longer inside the bottle. A single blond hair stuck up on the top of his bald head, curling almost into the shape of a question mark near the tip of it.

The man laughed, gently placing the bottle on a nearby countertop. "Why, child; you know who I am. In fact, you have known who I am and what I do for your entire immortal life."

After a few stalling seconds, face and name clicked together in Jack's mind. "Man in Moon?"

Man in Moon nodded with a smile. "Indeed I am, but you may call me Manny if you so like."

"So," Jack started slowly, scratching the back of his head. "I am on the moon?"

"In all essentials, yes," Manny replied, gesturing to the window that gave the fantastic view to the tiny blue and green planet many miles away. "So is your beloved fiancée."

"(F/N)?" Jack asked, a little more excitedly than the situation called for. Manny nodded once again, stepping aside to reveal the girl appearing to be sleeping peacefully on a bed too simple to be a bed but too fancy to be a cot.

"(F/N)!" Jack repeated, standing up and running over to your bedside. Waves of pain crashed against the walls of his skull and he nearly tripped twice on his way over, but he didn't care.

All he wanted was for you to be alright.

His heart nearly stopped beating once more when he placed his hands on your arm. "She's cold," he whispered, looking up at Manny with tears threatening to fall again.

Man, he has seriously got to stop with this entire watershed performance. It hurts too freakin' much.

Manny nodded, walking up to Jack and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, standing on his tiptoes even as Jack kneeled to reach it. "Her soul has passed on," he stated simply, running a hovering hand down your leg, lifting his arm back up in the air to point it to the ceiling in some kind of theatrical performance. "For the time-being. She will return when her physical body is ready for inhabitance once more. She had taken quite a terrible blow."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, taking your cold hand in his.

"Dear child," Manny began, turning to face Jack. "Do you remember what happened last? On the earth, not in the alternate world I tried to make just for you that Kozmotis so unexplainably destroyed."

"I—I," Jack stuttered, failing to remember what had happened. Then, with a gasp, "I died."

Manny nodded, wrapping an arm around Jack's slumping shoulders. "Yes, to save her. When you died, she was too wrapped up in her emotions to think clearly, and in an angry burst for revenge; she stormed too closely to Kozmotis and much to his pleasure, he shot her. In mortal form."

Jack gasped like a teenage girl, covering his mouth with both of his hands. "No. No, no, no, no, no!" he cried, resting his head on your chest.

"Poor child," Manny whispered, rubbing his hand on Jack's back comfortingly. "I'll leave you alone for a while."

Jack brought his head up quickly to tell Manny that he didn't _want_ to be left alone, but he had already left.

He placed his head back on your unmoving chest, tears beginning to fall once again.

_Why me?_ he thought solemnly, grasping your hand ever tighter. _Why is it always me?_

* * *

You blinked your eyes open, somehow feeling quite disconnected with yourself. You rubbed your forehead, as if a headache had bothered you only moments earlier.

Yet you felt no pain.

Almost no sensation at all.

Somehow, however; you could feel that you exist.

You could move, and you sat up; floating up until your head almost hit the ceiling.

_Okay, I must be in my immortal form if I could fly_, you thought, looking down and almost passing out when you saw the scene below you.

There you lay, seemingly sound asleep; a bloodied hole in the center of your shirt, skin quickly healing up beneath it.

And there was Jack, who had fallen asleep by your side; perfectly healthy and very much alive.

"Am I?" you started out loud, wondering if anybody could hear you. "Am I dead?" No one responded, and you floated down to place a transparent hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm a ghost?" you gasped to yourself, and you pressed your hand down harder on Jack's shoulder only to have it fall down through him.

You jumped back in shock, a table flying through you as you did so.

_Great_, you thought, since nobody could hear you speak aloud anyways. _I'm a ghost standing in the middle of a table watching herself lay motionless with her fiancé tear-stricken beside her. Wonderful._

You perked up a bit when you heard Jack murmur something. You floated out of the table and back to his side, leaning closer so you could hear him better.

He murmured again, and you could catch part of what he was saying.

"(F/N)," he said, holding your hand tighter. "(F/N), don't leave me. Don't, please… I—I love you; so, so much."

You almost cried at that statement, well; in fact, you did. You placed a hand back on his shoulder and whispered, "I love you, too."

Then, almost as an instinct; you started that singing thing all over again, hoping that Jack would somehow hear you.

_Sometimes it feels like, I'm gonna break  
Sometimes this world, gives more than I can take  
Sometimes, sunshine gets lost in the rain  
And it keeps pouring down  
It just keeps coming down_

And, as if in a dream; Jack began singing along with you in the chorus.

_This life would kill me if I didn't have you_  
_I couldn't live without you baby_  
_I wouldn't want to_  
_If you didn't love me so much_  
_I'd never make it through_  
_'Cause this life would kill me_  
_This life would kill me if I didn't have you._

Even as the first chorus ended, you realized with a happy shock that Jack still sang with you as if in a duet.

_You are my heart, every breath I breathe_  
_I'm safe in your arms, you rescue me._  
_When I'm weak, you're strong_  
_If you were gone I don't know where I'd be_  
_You were made for me_  
_(You were made for me)_

_This life would kill me if I didn't have you_  
_I couldn't live without you baby_  
_I wouldn't want to_  
_If you didn't love me so much_  
_I'd never make it through_  
_'Cause this life would kill me_  
_This life would kill me if I didn't have you_

_If you didn't love me so much_  
_(If you didn't love me so much)_

_This life would kill me if I didn't have you_  
_(This life would kill me)_

_Couldn't live without you baby_  
_I wouldn't want to_  
_If you didn't love me so much_  
_I'd never make it through_  
_'Cause This life would kill me_  
_This life would kill me if I didn't have you_

Jack had long ago awoken and you had followed him into the bathroom where he—in an angry outburst—punched everything in sight; making his knuckles a beating red and everything in the room frozen.

You watched solemnly with tears trying to fall down your transparent face as Jack banged his head against the bathroom wall, sliding down against it and falling into a crying heap on the floor.

"Why?" he cried, holding his head in his hands. "Why does everything I love end up dying on me?"

You flew up to the mourning boy, trying your best to embrace him in a hug, hoping he would at least sense your presence even if he couldn't see you.

"I'm sorry Jack," you cried, trying to run your fingers through his hair; already missing the soft chilliness of it. "I really am. I didn't mean to die, but I'm still here. I still love you, I always have."

A small ruffling behind you caused you to turn around and find yourself staring at a red-headed boy dressed in grean leaves and a small dagger peaking out behind his brown belt. He tipped his green hat to you, hand behind back as he bowed.

"It's time."

* * *

**Author's Note: Tada! I have posted this chapter! :D This is my last day of summer vacation, so tomorrow is the first day of my junior year! :O Oh my gosh, where has my life gone? XD Anyways, I only have a few more sad chapters left, actually; now that I think of it, you'll be reborn in the chapter after next I believe. So... who is this mysterious red-headed boy? I know who he is and I don't own him but I'll make the disclaimer in the next chapter because that's when his name is revealed. And no, I don't own Thompson Square's "If I Didn't Have You". I believe this is the last song chapter of this installment too, so; no more random singing! Maybe... :P lol Anyways, I think that's all I have to say for once and oh, updates should be coming more frequently now since school is starting up and I'll have time on the computer in school and the hour at home so, yay! No more waiting a week to find out what happens after those awful cliffhangers I tend to leave! XD lol Okay, I'm done now, so; good bye-bye!**


End file.
